A look back at the term of office of Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd

Local communities are coming together to celebrate and reflect on Greater Manchester’s journey to become the safest place in Britain.

Marking the end of his term as Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner, Tony Lloyd is hosting an event to look back on the achievements of the last four and a half years and thank residents, voluntary and community groups for their help and support. It’s also an opportunity to share ideas and lay out future police and crime priorities for the incoming elected Greater Manchester Mayor.

Tony will also unveil his end of term report which highlights the wealth of great work that has been done across the conurbation to protect the vulnerable, put victims at the centre, transform services to reduce demand, and empower local people to change their lives and communities for the better.

 

“As I reach the end of my term, and get ready to hand over the reins to the first elected Greater Manchester Mayor, it is right that I take a look back over the last four-and-a-half years and the journey I have shared with local people towards our goal of building the safest communities in Britain,” says Tony.

 

“The improvements and new ways of working that I have driven wouldn’t have been possible without the support of communities, voluntary organisations and partner agencies across Greater Manchester all pulling together for that common goal.”

The report is a showcase of how communities have worked with police and other partner agencies to tackle issues such as child sexual exploitation, mental ill health, modern slavery, domestic abuse, and reoffending including:

::   Transformation of criminal justice and rehabilitation services, including the delivery of Intensive Community Orders, which provide alternative interventions for young men who are on the cusp of custody; changes to youth justice which have halved the number of young people going into custody; and our ground-breaking whole-system approach to women offending which brings together police, probation, health, and Greater Manchester’s network of women’s centres to provide community-based punishments and work with women to tackle the reasons for their offending.

::   Overhaul of mental health crisis care, which has included the rollout of the mental health triage scheme, which gives police officers 24-hour telephone contact with specialist mental health teams; training for frontline police officers; and the launch of Sanctuary projects in Manchester, Bolton and Leigh to provide overnight support to people suffering a mental health crisis.

::   Radical overhaul of victims’ services across Greater Manchester, which puts the needs of victims at the centre, whether they choose to report the crime to police or not. This includes a new website – gmvictims.org.uk – which is a central gateway to support services across Greater Manchester, and investment in specialist services such as a training and counselling programme for victims of sexual violence in the LGBT community, and funding a support worker for male survivors of rape and sexual assault.

::   The establishment of a network of voluntary organisations and charities, coordinated by Stop the Traffik, to raise awareness of modern slavery, support victims and provide bedding, clothing and care packages to those liberated from slavers.

::   Transforming approach to tackling child sexual exploitation, embedding specialist multi-agency teams on each borough, a powerful awareness campaign to educate people on the warning signs of grooming, and a ground-breaking new project to tackle the growing missing children problem across Greater Manchester.

::   Investment of £200,000 to tackle hate crime and support local authorities in their work , bring local people together for community events, raise awareness of independent reporting centres, and encourage people to report hate crime via the new letsendhatecrime.com website.

It also reveals how Tony has awarded more than £2.2m to hundreds of community groups and youth organisations, empowering local people to build strong neighbourhoods, boost volunteering and give our young people the best start in life. This has included interactive, theatre-based projects exploring issues of grooming, bullying and antisocial behaviour and hard-hitting initiatives using mock prison cells and real-life experiences to educate young people about the consequences of crime.

As Greater Manchester approaches the dawn of a new era – taking power from Whitehall and putting it into the hands of local people – this report and feedback from local people lays the strong foundation for the incoming Mayor to build on.

“The combination of local voices, organisational cooperation, community, faith and voluntary sector partnerships stands us in good stead for the new Greater Manchester, as we move together to build one of the best places in the world to live, learn, work and enjoy,” adds Tony.

 

“As Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner I have been in a unique position to shape the framework for how devolved powers will truly bring benefits for local people. Working closely with local authority leaders and partner agencies to lay the foundations for a thriving Greater Manchester, where local people can access education, employment, transport, decent homes – all the key ingredients for a safer, stronger, cohesive Greater Manchester. These are strong foundations for the incoming Greater Manchester Mayor to build on.”

Read the report