GMP had the second highest number of allegations of sexual misconduct by officers in the country last year

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GMP had the second highest number of complaints of sexual misconduct by officers in the country, according to a watchdog.

There have been 20 such allegations made against officers by the public.

It was not a question of assaults but of misconduct that did not reach the threshold of criminality.

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This can include the abuse of power for sexual purposes – for example befriending a victim of domestic violence and having an inappropriate relationship – which can lead to malpractice hearings and dismissal.

The highest was 31 in the metropolitan force. In Cheshire, there was a case.

In total, from April 2020 to April 2021, 2,161 complaints were registered against GMP by the public, which involved 3,581 allegations. This represents 189 complaints per 1,000 employees. The force has 11,406 personnel.

It was less than comparable forces. In the West Midlands there were 4,102 complaints and in West Yorkshire 3,234.

GMP took an average of five days to register complaints and four days to contact complainants.

The figures were released today by the Independent Office for Police Conduct in its annual ‘Police Complaints Statistics’ report for England and Wales 2020/21.

The allegations against GMP break down as follows:

Complaints about the performance of their duties, 1,516 Police powers and procedures, 780 Manipulation of or damage to property, 116 Access or disclosure of information, 94 Use of police vehicles, 20 Discriminatory behavior, 191 Abuse of position, corruption , 41 Individual behavior, 721 Sexual conduct 20 Improper conduct 64 Other, 18

Cheshire Police recorded 1,719 complaints involving 2,331 allegations. The equivalent of 430 per 1000 employees – it has 4000 employees.

Nationally, the totals for all forces in England and Wales were 67,732 complaints and 109,151 allegations.

Cheshire Police recorded 1,719 public complaints from April 2020 to April 2021 (Image: Copyright Unknown)

Commenting on this year’s figures, IOPC CEO Michael Lockwood said, “Today the IOPC released its annual police complaints statistics for 2020/21. This is the first report since significant changes to the police complaints system were implemented in February 2020.

“An effective complaints system and independent oversight of it are essential to ensure public confidence in police services.

“Now more than ever, the public needs reassurance that police services are listening to their concerns and taking action to address the situation. They want to know that there are checks and balances on police powers and that there is accountability and learning when things go wrong.

“With significant changes to the way complaints are recorded and handled by police forces over the past year, more time is needed to ensure the consistency and completeness of this data. Therefore, these numbers are what the Office of National Statistics defines as “experimental statistics” – they are in the testing phase and not yet fully developed.

“Despite this, I am encouraged that the broadening of the definition of a complaint to include any expression of dissatisfaction and the removal of many obstacles to registration have resulted in the expected significant increase in the volume of complaints received.

“Equally positive is that many more complaints are now resolved quickly and informally, and fewer complaints lead to lengthy investigations. These are replaced by more tailored responses such as explanations and apologies that address the concerns raised.

“Given the experimental nature of the statistics, we need to be careful in drawing firm conclusions about the results at this point.

“However, it should be noted that very few complaints have resulted in an investigation of an individual’s conduct and even fewer (18) a result of misconduct for an individual. As more data on the outcome becomes available, we will seek assurance that there is an appropriate response when concerns about the conduct are raised.

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“I am concerned that so few cases have resulted in learning for the individuals or police force involved – and in particular that very few cases (815) have resulted in the use of reflective practice as an outcome.

“The introduction of reflective practice has been at the heart of the reform of the complaints system. This is a process intended to provide an open environment to encourage everyone involved to think, learn and, if necessary, correct things to prevent problems from reoccurring.

“I would ask all police chiefs and commissioners of police and police to consider how they can use the data in this report to further improve their handling of complaints and demonstrate to the public that there is an appropriate response when issues arise. raised. “

GMP and Cheshire Police statements

Detective Chief Superintendent John Chadwick, Chief Professional Standards Officer at GMP, said: “We welcome ourselves to be held accountable and expect anyone who receives service that violates our moral and professional standards to report it to our Professional Standards Branch – where it will be In the event of misconduct, we will take strong action to preserve a force comprised primarily of thousands of officers and employees who perform their duties with respect to protect the public and prevent The crime.

“Any abuse of position for sexual purposes is absolutely unacceptable. Greater Manchester Police are the country’s second largest force and we will not tolerate any behavior that does not reflect the high level of professionalism and integrity we expect from our officers. “

“We will not hesitate to show the public that we are taking action against this behavior. We know we have work to do in restoring public confidence and in publicizing any incident in which an agent has not demonstrated sufficient professionalism. we are waiting, we will continue to show that this will not be tolerated. “

Manchester courts are among the busiest in the country with a wide range of cases heard each week.

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Detective Superintendent Alison Ross, Cheshire Police Professional Standards Department, said: “The overwhelming majority of police and staff do very professional work on a daily basis and quite often under difficult circumstances.

“This is reflected in the compliments we often receive from the public.

“However, when someone is not happy with the service they received from the force, we take it very seriously and will always listen to those who come forward to report any issues.

“Figures released today (Tuesday, November 16) by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) underscore the fact that when complaints are lodged with the force, they are registered quickly, dealt with quickly and finalized in as soon as possible.

“This is great news for the force, but we don’t have to be complacent and we will continue to strive to improve wherever we can.

“The Cheshire Police Department record allegations of complaints in accordance with IOPC and Home Office guidelines and we are committed to making the complaints process as open, honest, transparent and accessible as possible.

“If anyone is not satisfied with the service he received from the force, he is urged to report it. This can be done via an online form on our website or by contacting us directly via 101.

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