GMCA issues update on Baird Review fall-out

Greater Manchester's deputy mayor has issued an update on how she will handle a damning report into Greater Manchester Police’s handling of people in custody. 

The Baird Review was released on July 18, which examined how people held in custody by GMP were treated by cops.

It found some women in custody were treated ‘like meat’, and Chief Constable Stephen Watson accepted the review’s recommendations ‘in full’ and apologised for the treatment of the complainants.

Mr Watson also said ‘the majority’ of officers criticised by the report were still employed by the force.

In the wake of the revelation, deputy mayor Kate Green, who leads on policing, said she will be following up on the outcome of disciplinary processes against officers highlighted in the report.

“I have specifically asked the Chief Constable for a report on the status in respect of all of those officers, many are still subject to current complaints processes,” she told a Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) Police, Fire and Crime Panel. 

“Obviously, those will have to run through due process.

"But I want to assure myself and therefore to assure complainants and the public that as we know the Chief Constable is extremely strong in his approach to misconduct and criminal activity in the GMP workforce.

“I want to know every one of those officers is being appropriately followed up.”

Now, the GMCA has issued a further update on how it is handling the fall out of the recommendations.

A spokesperson said: “We’re currently in the process of finalising the action plan to deliver Dame Vera’s recommendations and will be able to confirm more details in due course.”

The panel took place shortly before video footage emerged from Manchester Airport which showed a police officer kick and stamp on a suspect’s head while he was held on the floor.

Earlier, officers involved had been subject to a ‘violent assault’ which left one cop with a broken nose.

When asked why negative headlines kept mounting up against GMP, mayor Andy Burnham said on Friday (July 26): “Police forces have been out there dealing with some of these issues in society, and I want to say I recognise the difficult job that are officers do in Greater Manchester.

"It’s a really difficult and demanding job - I am not making any comment on the individual situation, I am making a general comment here. It’s hard to be policing communities on the frontline at this moment in time.

“One thing I would say is some of the things you have raised are [known about] because we are challenging GMP to go further to improve the culture in the organisation.

"That brings some things out into the public domain.

"We will never say nothing to see here.”

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