Chief will strive to do more

Fahy hits back after Greater Manchester Police rated second-worst force in Britain

CRIME in Greater Manchester has dropped by 13 per cent leading to increased public confidence in the police, according to a new report.

The Police Report Card recognises the force’s success in tackling serious and gun crime, work in priority neighbourhoods and crime-fighting achievements through operations Storm and Admiral.

It also highlights GMP’s commitment to improving the service through an ambitious change programme and new policing model.

Chief Constable Peter Fahy said: “We have seen some major reductions in crime and at the end of 2009 were reporting the biggest drop in two years.”

Latest figures for the end of February, 2010, show burglary has now been cut by 15 per cent, violent offences where a person is injured show an 8 per cent reduction, robbery has reduced by 14 per cent and vehicle crime has dropped by 18 per cent. Three in four people say they have confidence in the police.

Chief Constable Fahy added: “It is important to note that the figures in the report are five months out-of-date.

“The force has had significant achievements in cutting crime and improving performance since then.

“The report attempts to capture the complexities of policing in a format the public may find useful. However, it does not give enough recognition to the challenges a large metropolitan area faces when compared with more rural areas.

“We continue to provide people with a range of easy access information through the force website so they can see up-to-date information about their local police.

“What is most important to GMP is to provide the best possible service to people so that we can improve public confidence on the streets and in our communities. We are already seeing examples of that through the work of neighbourhood policing teams.

“We know we can do more and we will. The success we have had in tackling serious crime is now being used to target the prolific offenders responsible for the crimes hitting our communities.

“In December, 2009, we set ourselves an ambitious plan to push performance even further and support our long-term plans.

“This has already brought improvements including tracing around 900 wanted offenders.

“We want to see more offenders being brought to justice for their crimes and will be continuing to target prolific offenders.”




Report not a pleasant read

LOBBY CORRESPONDENT

Figures available online

GREATER Manchester Police is one of the worst performing forces in the country, a report today reveals.

It must improve on solving burglaries, dealing with violence and anti-social behaviour.

The report, published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), said while improvements were needed, the force has a strong track record in dealing with high level offences, including gun crime.

A police performance table ranking the 43 forces, puts GMP second worst along with Lincolnshire. Only Nottinghamshire faired worse.

Roger Baker, who led the HMIC’s inspection, said: “Greater Manchester Police recognises it must improve in a number of areas.

The Chief Constable has acknowledged that reducing offences together with improving the number of offences detected and improving the confidence people have in GMP to deal with crime and anti-social behaviour, are priorities for the force.”

The report, part of a national assessment carried out by the HMIC, is expected to be regularly updated to take account of changes in the force’s performance.

The HMIC website launches on Saturday aiming to give the public the most comprehensive overview of police performance ever.

Information will be available to view at www. mypolice.org.uk. Users will be able to compare the risks residents face in different areas and uncover how their force ranks.

GMP ranked “poor” for local crime and policing and for confidence and satisfaction. But it received “good” for protection from serious harm.

Denis O’Connor, HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary, said the website will be an uncomfortable read for some but “does also have much to celebrate.

He added: “We are providing the public with information about the risk they face from crime and antisocial behaviour where they live, how good their police are at tackling these risks and how much the police cost.

“It’s a one-stop-shop for most of the information the public wants.”