News

GMP’s response times revealed to be among the ‘fastest’ in the country

The region's police service receives almost 600,000 emergency 999 calls a year.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 26th June 2024

Greater Manchester Police’s (GMP) response times are among the “fastest” in the country, it has been revealed.

Response officers are form a crucial part of the region’s police service, with more 1,600 of them currently working hard, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to serve different areas across Greater Manchester.

These officers respond to everything from burglaries and robberies, to fights, road traffic collisions, and more throughout the region.

They will often be the first to attend any form of incident, and once arriving on these scene, will be quick to assess the immediate threat and harm, initiate an investigation, and provide a reassuring visible police presence for the public.  

Police Officer
GMP’s response times have been revealed as among the ‘fastest’ in the country / Credit: GMP

GMP‘s ‘Force Control Room’ receives almost 600,000 999 calls a year, which is around 1,600 a day.

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And now, it has been revealed this week that the force’s response times to those 999 calls, as well as officers’ arrival on the scenes, are among the fastest of any police service in the whole country.

Within the past year alone, GMP was found to have responded to 135,726 Grade 1 incidents – which are calls that need an immediate response – or 370 a day, across the borough, in around 9 minutes 34 seconds on average, which is well inside the expected national average of 15 minutes.   

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Those almost 600,000 emergency calls were also found to have been answered, on average, in around four seconds.

GMP’s Assistant Chief Constable, Matt Boyle, called Response Policing the “bedrock” of every police force across the country.  

Speaking on GMP’s recent achievements in response times, and praising officers for all their hard work and dedication, ACC Boyle said: “Our response officers and staff play a vital role in keeping the public of Greater Manchester safe every day of the year around the clock.

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“Almost every police officer starts on response, and there is no doubt it’s one of the toughest but also most rewarding roles in policing.  

The region’s police service receives almost 600,000 emergency 999 calls a year / Credit: GMP

“When the public call us, often in one of the worst moments of their lives, they rightly expect us to pick up the phone, arrive quickly, act professionally and protect them, and we have made significant improvements in doing this over the last few years, particularly in areas such as burglary, where we now attend every burglary report that comes into us, and domestic abuse, where we are arresting more people than ever.”

ACC Boyle also assured the public that GMP is investing time, money, and recourses into making sure Response Officers receive the most up-to-date training.

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“They will usually be the first officers on the scene of an ongoing incident and will often be the first person the public sees, ACC Boyle continued, “So it’s vital they are trained to the highest standards and have the latest kit and equipment.”

Featured Image – GMP

News

Manchester named one of Europe’s ‘best’ cities alongside 17 other British places

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Manchester has been named one of the ‘best’ cities in Europe for 2025, according to a new ranking.

You may remember that our city – and wider Greater Manchester borough – has often featured on various round-up lists over the years, with it ranking on everything from being named one of the best places in the UK to buy your first home, and the best place to raise a family, right through to being one of the most creative cities.

But it arguably doesn’t get much better than a title like this.

For a long time now, the city has been cementing itself as a tourist hotspot, with new hotels popping up left, right, and centre, and integrated transport systems being introduced to make it easier to get around.

And it looks like all that has paid off, as Manchester has now been named one of the best cities in the whole of Europe for 2025, thanks to a new ranking by Resonance Co.

Manchester skyline
Manchester has been named one of Europe’s ‘best’ cities / Credit: Josh Taylor | Chris Curry (via Unsplash)

This year, the global placemaking company’s research encompassed 128 cities across Europe with metropolitan area populations of 500,000 or more, and evaluated each of them based on 30 performance indicators and perception metrics derived from surveys of more than 7,500 respondents across 10 European countries.

Once each of these performance indictors had been evaluated, every city was given its own ‘Place Power Score’ to determine its ranking.

A city’s ‘Place Power Score’ examines three core dimensions – liveability, which takes into account things like housing affordability, healthcare access, green space, air quality, and cycling infrastructure; loveability, which encompasses culture, nightlife, culinary scenes, and more; and prosperity, which includes business environment, talent density, GDP per capita, airport connectivity, and more.

While Manchester may have missed out on both the top 10 and top 20, considering it’s a top 100 list, our city has claimed the respectable 36th spot, beating out mega cities such as Venice, Nice, Athens, and loads more.

In fact, 18 British cities are included in the top 100.

Our city has ranked alongside 17 other British places / Credit: Mangopear Creative

Explaining why Manchester has been ranked, Resonance Co said in its city description: “You’ll be hearing a lot more about Manchester this decade, as the historic engine of English industry shifts into high gear across both culture and development.

“While the UNESCO City of Literature continues to shape global music – with 2024’s opening of the 23,500-seat Co-op Live arena, and a festival lineup that includes Beyond the Music and Worldwide Music Expo – Greater Manchester is also writing a new chapter in urban reinvention.

“A newly centralised ‘single pipeline for growth’ coordinates £1 billion of planned annual investment across six targeted Growth Locations, aiming to deliver tens of thousands of homes and jobs at a pace unmatched in the UK since the 2012 London Olympics. Among the boldest is the Western Gateway, anchored by the regeneration of Old Trafford around Manchester United’s stadium, projected to generate over 90,000 jobs.

“The Central Growth Cluster includes innovation districts like Crescent Salford and Victoria North. These ambitions build on an £80-billion economy that’s grown 50% since 2000 and now leads the nation in FDI outside London.

“Add a mature devolved governance model and transformative transit investments – like bringing commuter rail into the Bee Network – and the city’s Top 10-ranked airport and 15th-most Instagram Hashtags start making sense.”

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Which city took the title of the best city in Europe though? Well unfortunately, we have to give it to the southerners on this one, as London took the top spot.

But at least it’s an impressive win for the UK, if nothing else.

Featured Image – Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)

News

Criminals who skip court sentencing hearings will now be ‘forced’ to attend or face more prison time

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Judges will now be able to hand down prison punishments for ‘cowardly’ criminals who refuse to attend their sentencing hearing.

It’s been a long time coming… but for the first time ever, victims are set to be ‘better protected than ever before’ thanks to new measures across the UK justice system following the introduction of the Victims and Courts Bill yesterday (7 May).

Not only will they be forced to attend court, but with the understanding that those facing long sentences or Whole Life Orders may not necessarily be deterred solely by additional time behind bars, the Government has decided to give judges extra power to impose a range of prison sanctions on top of additional years on their sentence.

Government ministers said this is to ensure that ‘heinous criminals’ who refuse to attend can be ‘appropriately’ punished. 

The new Bill also extends the eligibility to all cases in the Crown Court too, which means that all offenders who attempt to ‘evade justice’ could be subject to tough sanctions, as well as up to two more years behind bars.

On top of this, offenders who have been ordered to attend by a judge, but whose disruptive and disrespectful behaviour results in their removal from the courtroom, will also be punishable by the same means.

To ensure the Government and other agencies are ‘held to account’ in delivering justice for victims, the Bill also bolsters the role of the Victims’ Commissioner, so under the new legislation, the Commissioner will be able to play a bigger role in individual cases that raise systemic issues.

The aim of this measure is to ensure that ‘lessons are learned’ to benefit other victims or witnesses in the future.

“This Bill will deliver long overdue reforms to ensure victims see justice done and are given the vital support they need as they rebuild their lives,” commented Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Shabana Mahmood.

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“There is still more work to do as we fix a justice system that was left on the brink of collapse, but this Bill is a step towards rebuilding victims’ confidence through our Plan for Change.”

Featured Image – Merseyside Police | Cheshire Police

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