The country’s second largest police force has been placed in special measures by inspectors, who found it was failing to protect the public from sex offenders.
West Midlands Police was placed under an enhanced level of monitoring on Friday after the force was inspected by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS).
The watchdog raised concerns about how the force manages investigations, how it safeguards vulnerable people and how it manages sex and child abuse offenders, moving it from the default “scan” level of monitoring to “engage”.
West Midlands police joins four other forces in special measures, including the the country’s biggest, the Metropolitan Police. Others being monitored are Devon and Cornwall, Wiltshire and Staffordshire.
The report, published on Friday, raised concerns that West Midlands Police is not effectively managing the risk posed to the public by registered sex offenders or managing the risk posed by online child abusers.
HMICFRS said “significant and sustained improvements” are required, adding that the inspectorate will be closely monitoring the force’s progress with a further report due to be published in early 2024.
His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Wendy 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.”
However, the force’s chief constable said he “completely disagrees” with the inspectorates decision.
WMP said that many of the issues identified related to a previous operating model, with statistics “largely drawn” from before a new model was introduced in April this year, and that it was outperforming other forces in solving burglary, robbery and homicide cases.
WMP Chief Constable Craig Guildford (Richard Vernalls/PA)
WMP Chief Constable Craig Guildford said: “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.
“Our job now is to ensure the plans we have already implemented expeditiously address HMICFRS’ concerns.
“When I joined WMP 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.”
Mr Guildford also said it was “misleading” for the inspectorate to say that victims were not safeguarded and that domestic abuse arrest rates have increased from 27 per cent to 39 per cent.
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.
He also accepted that “investigations need to improve further” but said the force had a detailed plan to achieve this.
The West Midlands police and crime commissioner, Simon Foster, said he also disagreed with the inspectorate’s decision and the inspection was “in many respects a reflection of ‘what was’ rather than ‘what is”’.
He said: “Action has already been taken and continues to be taken, to drive significant improvements within West Midlands Police. That includes: transforming 999 and 101 performance and the largest crime reductions by volume of any force in the country.
“I have been repeatedly warning the government that its reckless cuts to policing, which even after the so-called police uplift, left West Midlands Police with 1,000 fewer officers than it had in 2010, have 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.
“I trust the government can appreciate the consequences of its own actions.”
