West Midlands Police is not carrying out its investigations effectively or managing the risk to the public by sex offenders, inspectors have said.
The force was also not managing the risk posed by online child abusers properly or effectively keeping domestic abuse victims safe. The government will now monitor the force closely and insist it meets with its inspectors regularly.
The PCC and chief constable said they completely disagreed with the decision. The police force's monitoring level has been escalated to “Engage”, an enhanced form of monitoring, as it is “not effectively addressing the inspectorate's concerns”, inspectors said.
It added significant improvements were needed and the force, which covers Birmingham, Wolverhampton, the Black Country and Coventry, has been asked to urgently produce an improvement plan.
His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services said West Midlands Police had failed to:
- Carry out effective investigations leading to satisfactory results for victims
- Work effectively to keep vulnerable people safe
- Effectively manage the risk posed to the public by registered sex offenders
- Manage the risk posed by online child abuse offenders effectively
Analysis, Rob Mayor, West Midlands Political Editor
West Midlands Police is the biggest force outside London, covering 348 square miles with a population of 2.94 million people. The watchdog's decision to effectively place it into special measures, will fuel the debate about who should be responsible for policing in the region.
Those who want the police and crime commissioner's powers to be handed to the winner of next May's West Midlands Metro Mayor election, say failures on investigating crime and delivering for victims are clear evidence the current model doesn't work.
The Police and Crime Commissioner himself disputes the watchdog's findings and puts the blame for any shortcomings on a lack of government funding. The force does have 1,000 fewer offices than in 2010, but all expectations are that the home secretary will merge the two offices, a decision I'm told will be made in the next few weeks.
His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams said the process would provide additional security and support from the inspectorate.
“West Midlands Police has been asked to urgently produce an improvement plan and will meet regularly with our inspectors. We will work closely with the force to monitor its progress against these important and necessary changes,” she said.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford said many of the issues identified developed as a result of a previous operating model, with statistics “largely drawn” from before a new model was introduced in April this year. He added the force was outperforming other forces in solving burglary, robbery and homicide cases.
“Although I remain respectful of HMICFRS, I completely disagree with their decision-making to move West Midlands Police into ‘Engage' now despite providing them with recent evidence that should inform a much more comprehensive and fair assessment of the force.
“I want to reassure people that we had already identified these issues and put robust plans in place to rectify them,” he added. It was “misleading” for the inspectorate to say victims were not safeguarded, he said and added domestic abuse arrest rates have increased from 27% to 39%, he said.
The force also answers 70,000 999 calls a month in an average of five seconds, with “significant reductions in crime”, Mr Guildford said. He acknowledged issues around the force's management of sex and online child abuse offenders, but said these had been identified and were a “legacy” of the force's previous operating model.
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, said he was treating the matter “with the utmost seriousness and as a top priority”.
“Action has already been taken and continues to be taken, to drive significant improvements within West Midlands Police.” He added the cuts to policing, leaving the force with 1,000 fewer officers, had “caused immense damage to the force.”
“Today's announcement by His Majesty's Inspectorate is yet further evidence of the damage inflicted on West Midlands Police and the people of the West Midlands by the government,” he added. The force's next inspection report is due to be published in early 2024.
Ron Winch, professor in policing at Birmingham City University, told BBC Radio WM officers at the force would be feeling anxious at the move but remain resilient.
“It's always difficult when you are criticised,” the former superintendent added.
— CutC by bbc.com
