I am very pleased with the overall performance of West Midlands Police.
West Midlands Police is good at preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour. The force has a sound understanding of the concerns of the people it serves, including those who would not routinely talk directly to the police.
The force uses a range of innovative tactics, but it could be more systematic in analysing problems and assessing the effectiveness of its interventions.
I am pleased with the force’s approach to investigating crime and reducing reoffending.
The force assesses calls from the public using a structured process, and the initial stages of its investigations are mostly thorough, although there is some room for improved consistency. Investigation plans are used to good effect to provide structure, and line managers supervise investigations well. The force makes extensive and innovative use of integrated offender management.
However, I have some concerns about the force’s approach to protecting vulnerable people, and I am disappointed that the causes of concern I highlighted last year persist. The force is still inconsistent in how it assesses and manages cases involving missing people, which creates the potential for vulnerable people to be exposed to harm unnecessarily. The force is also inconsistent in how it assesses risk in domestic abuse cases, and it cannot be confident that all victims of domestic abuse receive a multi-agency response that is tailored to their individual needs.
West Midlands Police has developed a good understanding of the threat posed by serious and organised crime. The force regularly disrupts and investigates serious and organised crime in collaboration with a wide range of other public service organisations, and it has a variety of effective projects for deterring people from becoming involved in organised criminality.
I am pleased that West Midlands Police has maintained a detailed understanding of the current and likely future demands for its services, including so-called hidden demands such as internet crime. Its understanding is based on thorough analysis of an extensive range of information. The force has worked closely with partner organisations to develop a mutual understanding of the demands for their services. The force and its partner organisations also share an understanding of how joint working arrangements may be changed in the future by, for example, the reform of public services throughout the West Midlands region.
I am impressed by the way the force has reviewed many of its own practices and has made changes to reduce waste, and I encourage the force to extend this work to its other practices. The force uses its understanding of demand to match resources to need, and it co-ordinates the deployment of officers and staff around the force with the support of bespoke software.
The force has a good understanding of its workforce’s current skills and is working to develop a comprehensive, force-wide, understanding that includes current and future gaps in its capabilities.
West Midlands Police has comprehensive financial plans based on sound assumptions. It is continuing to invest in a more preventative style of policing, with many services integrated with those of partner organisations and supported by better technology.
I am impressed by the force’s very effective arrangements for monitoring and reviewing the changes that it makes, and its strong record of generating savings and improving services.
West Midlands Police uses a range of approaches to seek feedback from the public on their perceptions of what constitutes fair and respectful treatment. The force makes a concerted effort to contact those who are less well served and adjusts its approaches to meet the needs of different people.
I am pleased that the force has improved its approach to identifying and responding to potential corruption, and that it recognises officers and staff abusing their authority for sexual gain (that is, taking advantage of a position of power to exploit vulnerable victims of crime) as serious corruption.
The force uses a variety of approaches to understand the views of its workforce. This feedback has informed several improvements, including how it addresses grievances. However, the force should improve its performance appraisal and development system.
West Midlands Police has relatively high levels of sickness absence for both officers and staff. The force needs to strengthen its understanding of what is causing this, and take action to improve the health and well-being of its workforce. An improved appraisal system will assist in that respect. I am pleased that it has introduced a range of health and well-being initiatives, and increased the capacity of its occupational health support.
In summary, I am pleased that, faced with the challenges of keeping a major conurbation safe, the force has maintained a good overall level of performance.
Context
West Midlands Police provides policing services to the metropolitan area of the West Midlands. The police force area covers 348 square miles in the centre of England. West Midlands has high levels of poverty, although there are areas of great affluence. The force area is home to around 2.8 million people, who live in a predominantly urban setting. The force covers the West Midlands conurbation, including the cities of Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Coventry, and large surrounding townships.
The resident population is ethnically very diverse, with 30 percent from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, and is increased by a large number of university students and of those who visit, socialise in, commute into, or travel through the area each year. The transport infrastructure includes 57 miles of motorway and trunk roads, major rail stations, and a major airport.
The proportion of areas in the West Midlands that are predicted (on the basis of detailed economic and demographic analysis) to present a very high challenge to the police is higher than the national average. The most challenging areas are generally characterised by a high concentration of people living, working, socialising, or travelling in the area.
Features that both cause and/or indicate a concentration of people include the number of commercial premises, including licensed premises and fast-food premises, public transport, and social deprivation. In some areas, these features are combined.
In December 2016, following serious disorder within HMP Birmingham, the force responded with specially trained officers to support the prison service. A subsequent investigation has resulted in eight prison inmates being prosecuted for prison mutiny.
Working arrangements
West Midlands Police is closely involved in the ambitious and extensive plans for change in the delivery of public services in the West Midlands combined authority area.
The force has innovative arrangements with a strategic commercial partner to implement its 2020 change programme.
Looking ahead to 2017
In the year ahead, I will be interested to see how West Midlands Police responds to this assessment and to the areas for improvement that HMIC identified last year.
I will be particularly interested to see:
- how the force improves its approach to keeping vulnerable people safe;
- how the force addresses the causes of the high rate of sickness absence in its workforce; and
- how the force develops its processes to identify and map more organised crime groups.
