Report author will be GMP in six months as

THE author of a damning Greater Manchester Police inspection report says she believes the risk to the public in the region is ‘high’ as a result of the issues identified.

The report, by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services published yesterday, said the force failed to record 80,000 crimes in 12 months – and that the force was failing to record one in four violent crimes reported.

The review also found officers had prematurely closed some cases without proper investigation.

The service offered to approach to victims, particularly vulnerable victims, was of a ‘serious cause for concern’, HMICFRS said.

GMP chiefs say they have ‘robust’ plans to tackle the issues highlighted in the report.

The report’s author, Zoe Billingham, has now said she believes there is a ‘high’ risk to the public in the region and that urgent action must be taken.

She told Radio 4’s Today programme: “We normally give forces a little bit longer to improve, but the risk to the public of Greater Manchester is to such a high extent that I feel I have no option but to come back in six months’ time.

“It’s set out in the report, a wide range of recommendations as to what needs to happen and I’ll be expecting to see very, very significant improvement within that time frame.”

The report says more than a fifth of reported crimes are never recorded, rising to one in four where violent offences are concerned.

GMP fails to protect the victims of those crimes as a result, it said.

“The service provided to victims of crime by Greater Manchester Police, particularly vulnerable victims of crime, remains a serious cause of concern,” it says. More than one in five of all crimes reported to the police in Greater Manchester are not making it onto the books.

“The position is worse when it comes to recording violence against the person, where more than one in four crimes are not being recorded.

“Domestic abuse often lies behind these types of crimes of violence, meaning that the victims are especially vulnerable. Importantly, in many cases, when a reported crime is not recorded, victims are denied an effective police response and ultimately they are denied

justice,” it adds. “This is wholly unacceptable.”

In a statement, GMP’s Deputy Chief Constable Ian Pilling said the force was ‘obviously disappointed by some of the findings in the report, particularly where we have let victims down’.

“I can reassure the public that the issues identified in the report have been treated very seriously and reflected upon and we have robust plans to implement any outstanding learning and secure the best possible outcomes for victims going forward” he said.

“This will be supported by robust governance and strategic leadership oversight.

“The safety and wellbeing of the public, as well as maintaining their confidence, under pins all that the force does.”