Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins quits

It comes after it was revealed the force is to be placed in special measures after a watchdog raised concerns over its failure to record more than 80,000 crimes in the space of a year.

Asst Chief Constable Ian Pilling, who is from Wigan, will automatically replace Mr Hopkins for the interim.

A report issued by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) last week said it was left “deeply troubled” over how cases handled by Britain's second largest force were closed without proper investigation.

They also said GMP’s service to victims of crime was a “serious cause of concern”.

Inspectors found that around one in five of all crimes, and one in four violent crimes, reported by the public to the force were not recorded.

Announcing his resignation, Mr Hopkins said: "These are challenging times for Greater Manchester Police. The force has a long-term strategic plan to address the issues raised by the HMIC and I believe this plan should be led by a Chief Constable who can oversee it from start to finish.

"Considering what is best for GMP and the communities we serve, and given my current ill health, I have decided to stand down from the post of Chief Constable with immediate effect.

"It has been an honour to serve the public for 32 years, nearly 13 of which as a Chief Officer in GMP. Throughout my career I have been committed to achieving the best outcomes for the people I serve. The decision to stand down is not one I have taken lightly but I feel the time is right.

"I was due to retire in autumn 2021 and bringing that date forward assists in the timely recruitment of my successor."

He added: "I would like to pay tribute to my colleagues and the many dedicated officers and staff I have had the privilege of working with throughout my service."

He was speaking following a statement issued on Thursday night by HMICFRS which said the force had been moved into the “Engage” stage of its monitoring process.

This requires GMP to develop an improvement plan to “address the specific causes of concern”.

The HMICFRS report found that GMP failed to record an estimated 80,100 crimes reported to it between July 1 2019 and June 30 2020, amounting to around 220 crimes a day.

A higher proportion of violent crime was not recorded, including domestic abuse and behavioural crimes, such as harassment, stalking and coercive controlling behaviour.

Inspectors estimated that the force recorded 77.7% of reported crimes, a drop of 11.3% from 2018.

An HMICFRS spokesman said: “The level of scrutiny on Greater Manchester Police has been raised and the force has been placed in the Engage stage of the HMICFRS monitoring process.

“This is due to the causes of concern raised in HMICFRS’s recent reports which have highlighted the poor service the force provides to many victims of crime.

“In the Engage stage, a force is required to develop an improvement plan to address the specific causes of concern that have led to it being placed in the advanced phase of the monitoring process.

“The process is intended to provide support to the force from external organisations including the Home Office, College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs Council to assist in achieving the required improvements.”

Stu Berry, Chairman of Greater Manchester Police Federation, said: “It has been an extremely busy, difficult and demanding year for Greater Manchester Police and our members have worked tremendously hard to keep our communities safe during this extraordinary COVID pandemic.

“As a consequence of the HMIC report this week, GMP has been placed into ‘special measures’ to assist with a strategy to improve in specific key areas, as set out within the report.

“These issues have been widely reported and well publicised but they should not - and must not - detract from the efforts of our hard working Greater Manchester Police Officers, who continue to put themselves in harm’s way to keep the public safe, each and every day.”

Mr Berry added: “Chief Constable Ian Hopkins has stood down with immediate effect and I have personally wished him well in the future.

“It is now time to consider the impact of these events and I will remain in direct contact with the acting Chief Constable and the Mayor’s office to influence and negotiate on behalf of our members.

“There are a number of priorities our members will expect me to pursue and I will engage internally to seek those views. Those efforts will start forthwith as the recruitment process for a permanent Chief Constable begins.”

Ian Hopkins has been Chief Constable of GMP since October 2015, leading a force of 6,866 officers.

Following the publication of the HMICFRS report, Mr Hopkins revealed he had decided to take a break from his role to recover from Labyrinthitis – an inner ear infection which affects balance and which he had been suffering from since the end of October.

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