Greater Manchester Police moved out of special measures

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said the force had made sufficient improvements in performance it no longer needed “enhanced” monitoring.

Stephen Watson replaced Ian Hopkins as the new Chief Constable of GMP in May 2021 after the crisis-hit force was placed in special measures in December 2020.

Mr Watson, seen as an “old school” police chief who banned his officers from having tattoos visible while on duty, had blamed a “failure of senior leadership” for the force’s problems and promised a “dialled up muscularity” in his approach to crime.

He told Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and other political leaders in the region he would turn the force around with a plan to make more arrests, go after serious criminals with “real ferocity” and investigate every burglary.

HMICFRS said GMP was now responding to calls more quickly, giving officers more time to focus on bringing offenders to justice and more accurately recording crime.

Andy Cooke, the Chief Inspector of HMICFRS said: “I am pleased with the progress that Greater Manchester Police has made so far.

“Whilst there is still more to do, I have decided to remove the force from our enhanced level of monitoring, known as Engage, and return it to routine monitoring.

“I am reassured by the plans Greater Manchester Police has in place to continue making improvements. The force will be inspected again during 2023, when we will assess its progress to make sure the people of Manchester are getting the service they deserve from their police force.”

GMP first entered special measures after a HMICFRS report revealed the force had failed to record 80,000 crimes.

The then-Chief Constable Mr Hopkins, who had held the top job at GMP since 2015, stepped down after Mr Burnham, came under pressure to sack him as head of the 6,800-strong force.

Mr Watson said: “Our route into ‘special measures’ has been thoroughly analysed and much discussed. There are several reasons as to how we came to bear our recent travails, a failure of leadership principle amongst them.

“As I have stated repeatedly however, the fundamental failing was simply that we stopped doing the basics well, we stopped being the police and we stopped doing many of the things that our public have every right to expect.

“Nothing in these welcome developments implies any complacency on our part. We fully recognise that much remains to improve still further.

“I look forward to sustaining GMP’s march forward and for us to continue to make our region a safer place to live, work and visit.”

The force will be inspected again during 2023.