West Midlands Police removed from enhanced monitoring
West Midlands Police has made improvements and has therefore been removed from an enhanced level of monitoring by the police inspectorate.
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West Midlands Police: return to default phase of monitoring
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) continuously monitors the performance of all police forces in England.
The monitoring process consists of two phases: Scan and Engage. All police forces are in routine monitoring under the Scan phase by default, but may be escalated to enhanced monitoring under the Engage phase if they are not effectively addressing the inspectorate’s concerns.
West Midlands Police was moved into Engage on 24 November 2023.
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary has decided to remove West Midlands Police from Engage because it has made several improvements, including improving how it:
- manages the risk posed to the public by registered sex offenders and online child abuse offenders;
- manages its multi-agency risk assessment conferences (MARAC) to keep vulnerable people safe; and
- carries out effective investigations which lead to satisfactory results for victims.
Following our revisit earlier this year, there was one remaining cause of concern, which related to how well the force carries out effective investigations that lead to satisfactory results for victims.
In September 2024, the force was reinspected to assess progress against the five recommendations associated with this remaining cause of concern. Three of these recommendations have been closed.
The cause of concern remains open, and the force’s progress will be assessed as part of our continuous assessment approach.
His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Lee Freeman said:
“I am pleased with the progress that West Midlands Police has made so far. Whilst there is still more to do, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary has decided to remove the force from our enhanced level of monitoring, known as Engage, and return it to routine monitoring.
“We are reassured by the plans the police force has in place to continue making improvements, particularly in relation to our recommendations on how well the force carries out effective investigations. We will continue to assess its progress to make sure the people of West Midlands are getting the service they deserve.”
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West Midlands Police: return to default phase of monitoring
Notes
- For further information, please contact the HMICFRS Press Office on 0300 071 6781 or HMICPressOffice@hmicfrs.gov.uk.
- Read more information about the HMICFRS monitoring process.