Thursday, 11th of March 2010
GMP's reputation under threat
The sun may be shining this morning – but it is far from a bright day for Greater Manchester Police. Today’s headlines reveal that GMP has been officially labelled the second worse force in the country. It has been slammed for making ‘shocking’ and ‘inexcusable’ failures in the case of a woman who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend.
The force’s Chief Constable, Peter Fahy, has criticised the report for being an inaccurate reflection of GMP, a stance which could prove to make matters worse for the force.
Peter Fahy argues that the report captures the difficulties of policing in a way the public may find useful. He also says significant improvements have been made since the report took place, so the findings are out of date.
This may be true, and it is clear that Mr Fahy is desperately keen to reassure the public and restore our trust in GMP, but perhaps more careful consideration should have been taken before responding.
Taking responsibility for these failures is the first step to making amends.
