GMP promise "significant progress" after report into the treatment of women in custody
It's after a review by Dame Vera Baird
Greater Manchester Police say they've made "significant progress" and have ended the use of strip searching for "welfare" after a review into the force's practices.
A report was carried out in July by Dame Vera Baird after allegations of the mistreatment of people whilst in police custody.
Today GMP say "We’re continuing to make significant progress in improving our service to the people of GM by implementing the recommendations from Dame Vera Baird’s report into the treatment of women and men in our custody.
"Following the publication of the Baird review in July 2024, we have comprehensively addressed 24 of the 26 recommendations specific to GMP, with scrutiny from the GM Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
"These relate to our use of arrest, care for domestic and sexual abuse survivors, treatment of women and men in custody, use of strip-search, and the handling of complaints."
Following the publication of the report, the force say they've made a number of changes including; Ended the use of strip search for welfare purposes; Refreshed officer training on the use of voluntary attendance interviews; Ensured female welfare officers are allocated to female suspects in custody; Provided all female suspects in custody with dignity packs including sanitary products; Began implementing trauma-informed training to all frontline officers.
Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods said: “Our significant progress with the Baird review recommendations demonstrates our commitment to ensuring the people of Greater Manchester – particularly women and girls – can have confidence in their police force.
“Dame Vera’s report was a disturbing read which highlighted some troubling truths. The Chief Constable apologised to those in the report, and we take full responsibility for implementing the recommendations with a view to making lasting improvements.
“It is clear we are well on the way to doing this. We are working closely with local and national partners in policing and beyond to ensure we are being held fully accountable for our improvements, while also influencing national change in this space.”