PEEL Force Inspection
An inspection of the service provided to victims of crime by Greater Manchester Police
Published 10 December 2020
Cause of Concern recommendations tracked by HMICFRS for Greater Manchester Police (commissioned)
9
Recommendations
8
Completed
Applicable Forces
Greater Manchester Police
Recommendations (9)
| # | Recommendation | Directed at | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Cause of concern: The force is failing to make sure it correctly records all reported crimes, particularly violent crime, including domestic abuse behavioural crimes such as harassment, stalking and coercive controlling behaviour. So these crimes are often not investigated and victims are not always safeguarded. Recommendation: The force should immediately put in place arrangements to make sure that adequate supervision is applied to crime-recording decisions made by officers and staff. | Greater Manchester Police | Completed |
| T2 | Cause of concern: The force is failing to make sure investigation plans are always completed to an acceptable standard and not adequately supervising investigations. This leads to poor standards of some investigations, a lack of timely progression of investigations and a failure to adequately document and mitigate the risk to victims, including vulnerable victims. Recommendation: The force should immediately put in place arrangements to make sure that in all investigations the risk to victims has been appropriately assessed and sufficiently documented, and that any risks are mitigated. | Greater Manchester Police | Completed |
| T3 | Cause of concern: The force is failing to make sure investigation plans are always completed to an acceptable standard and not adequately supervising investigations. This leads to poor standards of some investigations, a lack of timely progression of investigations and a failure to adequately document and mitigate the risk to victims, including vulnerable victims. Recommendation: The force should immediately reinforce the requirement for the use of investigation plans, where these should be recorded and the supervisory responsibilities for overseeing and reviewing these, and introduce effective governance arrangements so it can satisfy itself that this is being done. | Greater Manchester Police | Superseded |
| T4 | Cause of concern: The force is failing to make sure it correctly records all reported crimes, particularly violent crime, including domestic abuse behavioural crimes such as harassment, stalking and coercive controlling behaviour. So these crimes are often not investigated and victims are not always safeguarded. Recommendation: The force should immediately take steps to identify and address gaps in its systems and processes for identifying and recording all reports of crime. | Greater Manchester Police | Completed |
| T5 | Cause of concern: The force is inappropriately concluding crime investigations with cautions and community resolutions that aren’t appropriate and in which it doesn’t consult the victim. The force is also recording that victims are not supporting or are withdrawing support for police action, even when it doesn’t have the necessary auditable evidence to confirm this is the case. This represents a risk that justice is not being served and victims’ wishes are not being fully represented and considered before a crime investigation is finalised. Recommendation: Within six months the force should complete a review of its operational governance arrangements. It should ensure the review properly and adequately considers relevant information and data, and has the appropriate authority and is effective in directing the necessary activity and actions needed to address identified shortcomings in the service provided to victims at any stage of their engagement with the force. | Greater Manchester Police | Completed |
| T6 | Cause of concern: The force is inappropriately concluding crime investigations with cautions and community resolutions that aren’t appropriate and in which it doesn’t consult the victim. The force is also recording that victims are not supporting or are withdrawing support for police action, even when it doesn’t have the necessary auditable evidence to confirm this is the case. This represents a risk that justice is not being served and victims’ wishes are not being fully represented and considered before a crime investigation is finalised. Recommendation: Within three months the force should complete a review to understand why it uses such a high proportion of outcome 16 (where a victim is recorded as not supporting or withdrawing support for police action) in respect of domestic abuse. This review should ensure the use of this outcome is not being affected by the quality and timeliness of investigations or workload pressures on police officers and staff; and that it is only being used in appropriate circumstances, supported by an auditable record of the victim’s decision. | Greater Manchester Police | Completed |
| T7 | Cause of concern: The force is failing to make sure investigation plans are always completed to an acceptable standard and not adequately supervising investigations. This leads to poor standards of some investigations, a lack of timely progression of investigations and a failure to adequately document and mitigate the risk to victims, including vulnerable victims. Recommendation: Within three months the force should complete an assessment of the standard and supervision of investigation plans and put in place any identified remedial actions to ensure the plans support a high standard of investigation and a good service to victims. | Greater Manchester Police | Completed |
| T8 | Cause of concern: The force is inappropriately concluding crime investigations with cautions and community resolutions that aren’t appropriate and in which it doesn’t consult the victim. The force is also recording that victims are not supporting or are withdrawing support for police action, even when it doesn’t have the necessary auditable evidence to confirm this is the case. This represents a risk that justice is not being served and victims’ wishes are not being fully represented and considered before a crime investigation is finalised. Recommendation: Within three months the force should make arrangements to improve the use and supervision of cautions and community resolutions so that they are only applied in appropriate circumstances, taking into account the nature of the offence and the background of the offender. The arrangements should include seeking victims’ views about the use of these outcomes, and the force should ensure that it records and considers these views. | Greater Manchester Police | Completed |
| T9 | Cause of concern: The force is failing to make sure it correctly records all reported crimes, particularly violent crime, including domestic abuse behavioural crimes such as harassment, stalking and coercive controlling behaviour. So these crimes are often not investigated and victims are not always safeguarded. Recommendation: Within three months the force should start crime-recording training for all supervisors, officers and staff in a crime recording role, to include the crime-recording requirements for harassment, stalking and coercive and controlling behaviour offences. | Greater Manchester Police | Completed |