Chief constable ‘completely disagrees’ with decision to move force into enhanced monitoring

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary confirmed on Friday (November 24) that West Midlands Police has been moved into the ‘Engage’ process following concerns over how it manages investigations and the risk posed by registered sex offenders and online child abuse offenders.

However, Mr Guildford responded: “Although I remain respectful of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (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.

“Our job now is to ensure the plans we have already implemented expeditiously address HMICFRS’ concerns.”

He said many of the issues identified developed as a result of the previous operating model, and statistical findings are largely drawn from datasets that pre-date the launch of West Midlands Police’s new operating model in April 2023.

Mr Guildford has also written to His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams stressing that the actions he has taken since being appointed chief constable “negates the necessity to formally engage the force”, which he says will “significantly undermine public and workforce confidence”.

He wrote: “I have previously shared with you my opinion that this should have happened two years ago at the same time as Greater Manchester Police, based upon my research.

“I have already provided you with some tangible factual evidence which would inform a much more comprehensive and fairer assessment of the force, with a far greater level of attention to ‘what is’ and not ‘what was’.

“The impact will be to significantly undermine public and workforce confidence at a time when it has just started to improve.

“However, the actions I have taken since my appointment 11 months ago followed by the evidenced augmentation of performance and a new policing model negates the necessity to formally engage the force.”

His view was shared by West Midlands police and crime commissioner Simon Foster who described the final decision-making process by the inspectorate as “seriously unsatisfactory”.

“It is important to understand that the decision is based on data, that is already between eight to 11 months old and that pre-dates the launch of the new Neighbourhood Policing Strategy on April 3, 2023.

“The decision taken is in many respects, a reflection of ‘what was’ rather than ‘what is’.

“The inspection is already materially out of date, as a consequence of the action that has and/or is already being taken.”

HMICFRS said West Midlands Police had been moved into Engage because it is not:

• Carrying out effective investigations which lead to satisfactory results for victims;
• Making sure multi-agency risk assessment conferences (MARACs) – meetings where statutory and voluntary agency representatives share information about people at high risk of domestic abuse – work effectively to keep vulnerable people safe;
• Effectively managing the risk posed to the public by registered sex offenders; and
• Managing the risk posed by online child abuse offenders effectively.

HMICFRS said that it was assured West Midlands Police is “taking steps to address these concerns”, but “significant and sustained improvements are required” and the inspectorate will be closely monitoring the force’s progress.

The inspectorate also said more detail about West Midlands Police’s performance would be included in its next inspection report, which is due to be published in early 2024.

Ms Williams said: “We move police forces into our enhanced level of monitoring, known as Engage, when a force is not responding to our concerns, or if it is not managing, mitigating or eradicating these concerns.

“The Engage process provides additional scrutiny and support from the inspectorate and other external organisations in the policing sector to help the police force improve and provide a better service for the public.

“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.”

In a statement responding to the HMICFRS decision, Mr Guildford said: “When I joined West Midlands Police in December 2022 I set some clear priorities as I recognised there needed to be a significant improvement in the force’s performance, the number of offenders brought to justice and the service we provide to local communities.

“It was for this reason that I implemented a rapid overhaul of the operating model and in April 2023 we created seven new Local Policing Areas, each of which has local responsibility for responding to calls for service and investigating offences.

Since implementing this new model, changing Force Contact and opening two more custody suites, our arrest rate has increased by a third as has the number of offenders brought to justice. This continues to improve each month.

“As a result of these rapid changes we are now the best performing force of our most similar forces group when it comes to solving burglary, robbery and homicide. The number of rapes we solve has increased dramatically, such that we have now surpassed the national average.

“We have gone from being one of the worst call-handling forces to one of the best in 11 months. We answer 70,000 999 calls each month in an average of five seconds and have improved the proportion of emergency incidents attended within our specified targets by 25 per cent.

“Our data is showing some significant reductions in crime. If the current trends continue, we expect to be one of the best-performing forces nationally for crime reductions.”

He added: “Accepting that you cannot turn a force the size of West Midlands Police around overnight, and notwithstanding all of the progress, we accept that investigations need to improve further.

“Indeed, we had already identified the concerns relating to investigations before HMICFRS inspected us; and we now have a detailed plan which is already delivering improvement.

“This will continue to be shared with HMICFRS.”

Regarding the concerns highlighted about the effectiveness of the MARACs, Mr Guildford said: “West Midlands Police always provides safeguarding to all victims, irrespective of eligibility for MARAC, so it is misleading to say that victims are not safeguarded as a result of delays in MARAC.

“Working with partners we have a plan in place to address the backlog which is already delivering improvements. Our domestic abuse arrest rate has increased from 27 per cent to 39 per cent since changing our operating model.”

Regarding the issues raised by HMICFRS about the force’s management of the risk posed by registered sex offenders and online child abuse offenders, Mr Guildford said: “I want to reassure people that we had already identified these issues and put robust plans in place to rectify them.

“Whilst I accept the broad findings in relation to the frequency of some visits and supervisory oversight, this was a legacy of the previous force operating model which I have changed.

“We have merged Sex Offender Manager units into our specialist Public Protection Unit so that the issues identified are being better managed by the specialist leadership.

“We are already seeing significant improvements including a reduction in outstanding risk assessments by 58 per cent, and the introduction of a new staff welfare programme and performance dashboards that allow for enhanced scrutiny and oversight by managers.

“Our online investigative capability has been increased since the inspection, and as we shared with HMICFRS, we quickly eliminated a backlog in enforcement, and have sustained that improvement ever since. At the same time, we have implemented a new safeguarding referral process ahead of the national deadline set by the HMICFRS.”

The focus of the HMICFRS engage phase is to assist the force in finding ways to improve and resolve identified causes of concern, where they have not been successful in doing so independently.

At this stage, forces are asked to carry out a comprehensive analysis and develop an improvement plan to set out how causes of concern will be addressed.

Mr Guildford added: “We already have plans in place to address the concerns highlighted by HMICFRS which are working to deliver sustained and verifiable results.

“My officers and staff, who I hugely respect, continue to work very hard on behalf of the public.

“We remain focused on doing our very best to keep the public safe and bring offenders to justice. I have every confidence that we will continue to deliver sustained improvements for local communities and I look forward to evidencing this over the coming weeks and months to HMICFRS.”

Mr Foster said he was “disappointed” that he was not provided with any prior notice of HMICFRS decision, and labelled the final decision-making process by the inspectorate as “seriously unsatisfactory”.

“I was notified of the decision by HMICFRS to engage West Midlands Police during a 15 minutes Teams call on November 22,” said Mr Foster.

“I have yet to receive a letter from HMICFRS, setting out its areas of concern. I was provided with no prior notice of that decision.

“Despite having an agreement with HMICFRS, that West Midlands Police and I would have an opportunity to make representations prior to finalising of the decision, I am disappointed that HMICFRS have then resiled from that agreement.

“The final decision-making process by HMICFRS has been seriously unsatisfactory.

“I disagree with the decision of HMICFRS – a view that is shared by the chief constable.

He added: “I have been repeatedly warning the Government, that the reckless cuts it has imposed on West Midlands Police over a period of 13 years, has inflicted immense damage on the force. This has all too often left dedicated and hard-working police officers and staff, policing the West Midlands, with one hand tied behind their backs.

“That has taken its toll on West Midlands Police, its officers and staff and the people of the West Midlands.

“Notwithstanding the so-called police uplift, West Midlands Police, were left with 1,000 fewer officers than it had in 2010; the national funding formula costs West Midlands Police £40 million a year – the equivalent of 800 police officers; this year we received the fifth worst percentage national funding settlement in the country; and this year cuts of £28 million have had to be made and a further £22 million of cuts will have to be made next year.

“That has had serious adverse consequences for police visibility, response times, the conduct of investigations and the ability of West Midlands Police to prevent, tackle and reduce crime and protect the vulnerable.

“The people of the West Midlands have been paying the price and hard-working officers and staff have been picking up the pieces.

“The decision by HMICFRS to move West Midlands Police to engage, is yet further evidence of the damage inflicted on West Midlands Police and the people of the West Midlands by the Government.

“In any event, this is a matter that I am treating with the utmost seriousness and as a top priority, so as to ensure that the people of the West Midlands receive the service from West Midlands Police, that they are entitled to.”

Mr Foster added: “I have been and will continue to hold WMP to account and will work with HMICFRS and all relevant partners to take the action necessary, to address the areas of concern, relating to the conduct of volume crime investigations, MARACs and sex offender management. That will include ensuring that West Midlands Police prepare a plan, in order to resolve the areas of concern as a matter of urgency.

“In particular and despite all these many challenges I, together with West Midlands Police, have been driving significant improvements in a number of key areas.”

In addition to the new Neighbourhood Policing Strategy, he said these include: transforming 999 and 101 performance; improving crime recording accuracy now consistently averaging 90 to 95 per cent; achieving the largest crime reductions by volume of any force in the country; and increasing outcome rates for robbery, theft from the person and burglary.

Outstanding data recovery from devices relating to child sexual exploitation has also been slashed, and outstanding online child sexual exploitation cases have been reduced with a plan implemented to tackle these offences.

Disruption of County Lines activity saw the highest performing month on record in October 2023, with improved domestic abuse arrest rates and outcomes;

Mr Foster said a plan to improve the effectiveness of criminal investigations will be implemented, as the force recorded increased average monthly arrests rate by a third, with reductions in overall recorded crime, including burglary, theft from person, serious youth violence, knife crime and gun crime. Firearms discharges fell while the recovery of firearms increased.

“However, I repeat that I am treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and as a top priority. I am committed to holding West Midlands Police to account and working with the chief constable, HMICFRS and other relevant partners, to address and resolve the areas of concern as a matter of urgency, so as to ensure that the people of the West Midlands receive the service from West Midlands Police, that they are entitled to,” said Mr Foster.