Greater Manchester Police taken out of special measures

Greater Manchester Police was previously criticised for failing to record crimes or respond to vulnerable people

England's second largest police force has been taken out of special measures two years after a damning inspection.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has shown "clear, demonstrable progress", His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) said.

GMP faced scrutiny after a report revealed a failure to record more than 80,000 crimes in a year.

Chief Constable Stephen Watson, who took over last May, said the force had got back to basic policing.

The HMIC announcement means GMP no longer needs "enhanced" monitoring.

Previous inspections had found the force had failed to improve and was "still falling short" but inspectors said GMP had now made several improvements, including:

• A quicker response to calls especially from vulnerable people

• Better understanding of its performance and the capability and capacity of its workforce

• Improved support for officers and staff

• Halving the number of open investigations, giving officers more time to focus on bringing offenders to justice

• More accurately recorded crime.

Andy Cooke from HMIC said he was "pleased" with GMP's progress and "whilst there is still more to do", the force would be able to return to "routine monitoring".

Mr Watson said: "Our route into special measures has been thoroughly analysed and much discussed.

"As I have stated repeatedly however, the fundamental failing was simply that we stopped doing the basics well, we stopped being the police and we stopped doing many of the things that our public have every right to expect."

Chief Constable Stephen Watson says the force has got back to basic policing and he is proud of his staff

He said HMIC had "quite rightly, subjected the force to a tough process and have set the bar deliberately high".

"That our staff are succeeding so tangibly is something of which we can all be proud," he added.

Mr Watson replaced Ian Hopkins as the new chief constable of GMP in May 2021 after the crisis-hit force was placed in special measures in December 2020.

He told Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and other political leaders he would turn the force around with a plan to make more arrests, go after serious criminals with "real ferocity" and investigate every burglary.