Significant progress made following Baird review

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.

In response to the report, we have:

• 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

Our improvements are in addition to the substantial progress made following His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) in February 2023.

All of our developments are openly scrutinised by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), the Inspectorate, and further independent accountability initiatives such as the use of Independent Custody Visitors (ICVs).

This work is alongside our support of national partners in policing, and beyond to improve custody provision, as we aim to be an exemplar in this space in UK policing.

A full update on the status of the recommendations is available here.

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.”