West Midlands Police removed from enhanced monitoring

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) had moved the force into Engage status on November 24, 2023, after it identified four areas of concern.

However, less than ten months later, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary has decided to remove West Midlands Police from Engage after it made several improvements, including how it:

• Manages the risk posed to the public by registered sex offenders and online child abuse offenders;
• Manages its multi-agency risk assessment conferences (MARAC) to keep vulnerable people safe; and
• Carries out effective investigations which lead to satisfactory results for victims.

Following our revisit earlier this year, there was one remaining cause of concern, which  related to how well the force carries out effective investigations that lead to satisfactory results for victims.

This month, the force was re-inspected to assess progress against the five recommendations associated with this remaining cause of concern. Three of these recommendations have been closed.

The cause of concern relating to investigation processes remains open, but the inspectorate noted it has been “substantially and sustainably improved” and the force’s progress will be assessed as part of its continuous assessment approach.

His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Lee Freeman said: “I am pleased with the progress that West Midlands Police has made so far. Whilst there is still more to do, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary has decided to remove the force from our enhanced level of monitoring, known as Engage, and return it to routine monitoring.

“We are reassured by the plans the police force has in place to continue making improvements, particularly in relation to our recommendations on how well the force carries out effective investigations. We will continue to assess its progress to make sure the people of West Midlands are getting the service they deserve.”

West Midlands Police believes it is now the fastest improving force in the country after it was removed from special measures in a matter of months.

“Only in July this year did HMICFRS confirm the force had made significant improvements to its performance, closing three of four previously identified areas of concern,” said a spokesperson.

“Today, that final area has been substantially and sustainably addressed according to HMICFRS who acknowledged the good progress the force has made to improving its services to the public.”

Chief Constable Craig Guildford praised his officers, staff and volunteers for their hard work and significant improvements achieved throughout the past year.

He said: “People living within the West Midlands should, and now can, expect to receive a good policing response.

“If members of the public contact us, we will answer the phone quickly, respond in good time and conduct a thorough investigation.

“At the heart of everything we do, is the public, keeping people safe and bringing offenders to justice.

“Any victim is one too many so we are focusing every effort on preventing crime, working with our partners and communities to problem-solve and tackle the issues that matter most to people.

“Being recognised by HMICFRS for the improvements the force has made and in record time, it gives me the opportunity to rightly praise the professionalism and commitment of our officers and staff who continue to work tirelessly across the West Midlands.

“It is thanks to their collective efforts that the force has and continues to make such accelerated progress, improving the services we provide to the public.

Mr Guildford added: “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 and the overall service we provide to local communities.

“It was for this reason that I implemented a new operating model which now sees us having seven Local Policing Areas, each of which has local responsibility for responding to calls for service, neighbourhood policing and local investigations.

“Alongside implementing this new model, we have made significant changes to how people contact the force and opened two more custody suites with a third on the horizon.

“This has led to us now being one of the best forces in the country when it comes to both our 999 and 101 service.

“Only last month [August] did we answer all 999 calls within an average of eight seconds and 101 calls with an average answer time of 45 seconds.

“Our arrest rate has doubled, as has the number of offenders brought to justice.

“We are now the best performing force of our most similar group when it comes to solving burglary, robbery and murder, and the number of rapes we solve has nearly doubled.

“We have arrested and charged more offenders for vehicle crime and we have seized a record number of firearms.

“These changes have been made while WMP has achieved the largest reductions in crime across England and Wales, with there being 44,600 fewer victims or 12.1 perr cent less crime.”

Mr Guildford said throughout the Engage monitoring process, HMICFRS has rightly subjected West Midlands Police to a “demanding process with high expectations of the force”.

“It is testament to each and every one of our officers, staff and volunteers who have contributed to delivering these outstanding improvements on behalf of the public we all serve,” he said

“I also know there is a collective determination to go from strength to strength, with a clear and achievable ambition for us to now continue on our outstanding improvement journey.”

West Midlands Police and crime commissioner Simon Foster said: “This is a matter that I have treated with the utmost seriousness and as a top priority.

“I have been committed to holding West Midlands Police to account and working with the chief constable and the Inspectorate, to ensure that action was taken to address the capacity, capability and quality of investigations.

“I am pleased that, as a consequence of the action taken and the dedication and hard work of officers and staff, the Inspectorate has acknowledged sustained improvements in performance and removed the force from Engage.

“I will continue to hold West Midlands Police to account, to ensure continuous and sustained improvements in the effective investigation of crime, which lead to satisfactory results for victims.

“I am committed to constant and unremitting action, to ensure the people of the West Midlands receive the service from West Midlands Police, that they are entitled to.”