#041/2010 – HMIC praises police improvements

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Denis O’Connor today praised improvements made by Nottinghamshire and Greater Manchester Police.

He said: “I am happy to report that the two forces with the greatest performance issues in comparison to the other forces in England and Wales – Greater Manchester and Nottinghamshire – have improved.”

Nottinghamshire Police

Improvements in the performance of Nottinghamshire Police and Authority means that the county and city’s residents are less likely to be a victim of crime, HM Inspector Zoe Billingham said today.

Nottinghamshire has experienced the highest reduction in crime across England and Wales last year. The reduction of 16% was more than double the national average of 7%.

Offenders are also more likely to get caught with the force moving from 33rd to 15th out of 43 forces for crimes solved.

The improvements follow scrutiny of the force and authority by HMIC on behalf of the county’s and city’s residents since November 2009.

At that time, Nottinghamshire was identified as the only force in the country to be performing poorly in the three key areas of police activity; local policing, protecting people from serious harm and public confidence in the police.

Zoë Billingham, HMI for Nottinghamshire, said: “This time last year Nottinghamshire’s performance was a real concern. In the last twelve months, the force and authority have made really impressive improvements and are making good progress in addressing the concerns identified by HMIC.

“Crime is now coming down faster than in recent years, and performance in the key areas of concern, protecting local people from serious harm such as violent crime, and local policing is now improving.

“There is a new chair of the police authority and a new top team in the force which has given new drive and focus. Both have shown strong leadership with a determination to improve and I have been impressed by their change in approach and their achievements in reducing crime and risk to local people.

“Both the force and the police authority acknowledge this is a journey that has only just begun. But they have put the building blocks in place and are making solid improvements, providing a better policing service for Nottinghamshire.”

Greater Manchester Police

Greater Manchester Police is the 6th most improved force in England and Wales with all crime falling by 12.5% in the 12 months to September, HM Inspector Roger Baker said today.

The number of crimes solved has also improved over the last year, with vehicle crime showing the largest improvement – 46% higher than last year.

Detection rates for serious sexual offences have also improved by 17.7%, taking Greater Manchester above similar forces and from the bottom quarter nationally to the top quarter.

The force is improving in the protection from serious harm domain, which includes major crimes such as murder and serious sexual assaults. GMP achieved the third highest reduction nationally in the three months to August 2010.

Mr Baker said: “The force has worked to improve systems around handling calls from the public, incident management, crime management and public protection.

“The Chief Constable and Police Authority continue to invest appropriately in wider policing responses to major incidents, planned events and partnership working.

“A new Forensic Tasking Unit has been introduced to provide a coordinated approach to getting crime scene investigators to incidents in a speedier and more efficient way.

“There is now a real focus at Chief Officer level to drive the improvements sought. The new policing model, the Service Promise, and work to reduce bureaucracy are all starting to make a difference. The Chief Constable and the Police Authority have made significant progress in performance terms – but I know they are not complacent and that there is a determination to continue to improve.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

  1. HMIC is an independent inspectorate, inspecting policing in the public interest, rigorously examining the effectiveness of police forces and authorities to tackle crime and terrorism, improve criminal justice and raise confidence. Further information about HMIC can be found on the website www.hmic.gov.uk
  2. Please contact the HMIC Press Office on 020 7802 1824 for more information.