GMP chief offers positive update on plans to build new force

Chief Constable Stephen Watson has issued a positive update on his plan to fix Greater Manchester Police.
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The force was placed in special measures in December 2020 after a watchdog report revealed an estimated 80,000 crimes had not been properly recorded.

The scandal cost the then chief constable Ian Hopkins his job.

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Last year, his successor outlined his plan to improve the force, which warned criminals that their “free ride is coming to a close pretty rapidly” although GMP remains one of five forces in the country still to be in special measures.

GMP Chief Constable Stephen WatsonGMP Chief Constable Stephen Watson
GMP Chief Constable Stephen Watson

Mr Watson’s plans also included his intentions to reduce response times for 999 and 101.

And he said today (July 26): “As it approaches one year since I launched our plan to improve GMP and unveiled a series of promises to the public, I am pleased to provide an update which I trust will demonstrate to the people of Greater Manchester that the plan is working, and green shoots of improvement are coming into fruition.

“Since September, we have seen advancement in all areas highlighted as causes for concern by the HMICFRS, and the areas we know our communities rightly expect us to improve upon.

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"In this time I have appointed effective leadership, set out a clear plan, and taken our policing approach back to basics, effectively fighting, preventing and reducing crime, keeping people safe, and caring for victims.

999 call responses have improved999 call responses have improved
999 call responses have improved
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"One of the very first things I committed to the public was to ensure when they called GMP in their time of need we would answer quickly and seek to get them the appropriate response as swiftly as reasonably possible.

"I am pleased to say that we are seeing increasingly improved call answer times, with the average call answer time for 999 calls in June at 29 seconds, which is down from 1 minute and 6 seconds in June 2021.

However recently, we saw the best call answer time for 999 that we’ve seen in GMP memory, with call answer times below 10 seconds consistently from Friday evening until Monday morning.

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"We’re also seeing a positive trend in the 101 call answering time, reduced to 4 minutes and 19 seconds in June 2022, which is faster than its peak of 6 minutes 44 seconds in July 2021.”

Mr Watson has outlined the next phase of his mission is to strengthen the force. He also thanked officers and staff for their hard work during this period.

He added: “An additional focus for us as we head into the next stage of our plan to fully realise our potential is to strengthen our workforce.

"We are on the cusp of an enormously positive period in our history in that we will continue to forge ahead at pace, and we are recruiting into almost every area of policing the career has to offer.

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"As one of the largest forces in the country, GMP can offer a range of specialisms and diverse experiences that you would not get elsewhere. Other forces may have some of these opportunities but here at GMP, we have them all.

"All information on our vacancies and information for transferees can be found on our website.

"I am confident we will reach our latent potential. GMP is a force to be reckoned with.

"I would like to thank colleagues, our partner agencies and most importantly the good people of Greater Manchester for their continued support whilst we surge on with our mission to be the best police force in the country.”