Performance and Measurement

Summary

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is one of the largest forces in the country. The force covers 1,200 square kilometres in North West England, including the cities of Manchester and Salford and the towns of Stockport, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Wigan, Tameside and Trafford. The force area has a resident population of almost 2.6 million and an estimated 8 million people visit Greater Manchester’s sporting, entertainment, business and educational facilities each year. The force has 12 divisions, aligned to the area’s ten local authorities (three divisions for the City of Manchester), and 16 specialist departments.

Service delivery focuses on ‘fighting crime and protecting people’. Each division and department produces an annual business plan that covers the four strategic priorities: reducing crime and disorder with partners in Greater Manchester; investigating and detecting crime; building stronger and safer communities with partners; and providing a well-led and accountable service that is both efficient and effective.

Public consultation is influential in deciding local policing priorities. The corporate plan for 2007–10 steers the development of strategies and tactics to achieve force priorities and objectives, thus providing direction to divisions and departments.

Neighbourhood Policing is central to GMP, with each division having established teams dedicated to identifying community issues and concerns and responding to them.

Since 2003/04, detection rates have risen consistently. Performance in 2006/07 was challenging; however, improvements were seen in the later months. GMP continues to develop performance management processes.

The force has implemented the volume crime management model and there have been high-profile, force-wide campaigns to tackle burglary, robbery, domestic abuse and car crime. Involvement in the national Tackling Violent Crime programme has also seen the force take tougher action on all offences involving violence; this has led to increased crime recording and, encouragingly, increased reporting of domestic abuse.

GMP continues to develop its ability to respond effectively to serious and organised crime and the threat of terrorism. Major incident teams have been in place for three years and, in April 2005, GMP was the first force outside London to create an anti-terrorist unit. The force now has a counter-terrorism unit, one of four in existence across England and Wales. Officers and members of staff with specialist skills work as part of the new nationally co-ordinated effort to tackle terrorism.

A new cold case review unit has achieved a number of high-profile arrests and convictions in historic cases, taking advantage of the opportunities presented by DNA analysis and other technological advances.

GMP continues to work to improve the public’s first point of contact with front-line officers in neighbourhoods and when dialling for assistance. Performance targets for this area feature in the local priorities for the force and figures for call handling have improved, particularly in relation to 999 calls. Contact management in GMP, graded Poor in the HMIC baseline assessment of 2005/06, was reassessed in 2007 and the force was deemed to be delivering an improved level of service. GMP remains focused on achieving continuing improvement in this area.

The key priorities for the force over the next three years include: further improving the investigation of serious and organised crime; protecting vulnerable people; continuing to develop volume crime investigation and detection; and further embedding Neighbourhood Policing and reducing anti-social behaviour.

Work continues to enhance the strategic planning and business change management frameworks, including programme management, investment strategies and development of a business benefit approach to support the delivery of force priorities.