A damning report has found that officers at Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have been abusing their power by making unlawful arrests, conducting unlawful and demeaning strip searches, and traumatising victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence.

The Baird Inquiry was launched in response to GMP’s treatment of three women in custody at one police station but has since expanded to examine practices in all but one of Greater Manchester’s police stations.

The report reveals that officers are “using their power unwisely, unnecessarily, and sometimes unlawfully.” It highlights a culture within GMP where officers exercise power without accountability, describing the complaint system as “evasive, defensive, or aggressive in tone and rejecting any police error.

Chief Constable Stephen Watson has promised immediate action and apologised for what he describes as “incivility, insensitivity, compounded by a lack of routine leadership, scrutiny, and individual examples of low standards, poor behaviour, insensitivity, and a lack of care in the face of vulnerability.

Unlawful Arrests and Strip Searches

The report is particularly concerned with the criminalisation of women who have been victims of male violence. Three of the 15 complainants assessed in the report were victims of domestic abuse, and others were survivors of sexual abuse. Dame Vera Baird, who conducted the inquiry, notes a “gross and perplexing imbalance” in the police response to complainants’ behaviour compared to their response to the perpetrators of abuse.

The report suggests that unlawful arrests “may be endemic in GMP,” possibly influenced by senior-level decisions to increase arrests. GMP has been under pressure to increase arrests since it was placed under “special measures” in December 2020 after a report revealed that an estimated 80,000 crimes had not been properly recorded.

Strip Searches Described as “Deeply Injurious”

The report describes strip searches conducted by GMP as “deeply injurious,” often performed without explanation or proper recording. The inquiry found that strip searches were frequently carried out as a form of power trip rather than for legitimate reasons.

One example involved Dannika Stewart, who was arrested and strip-searched after reporting a sexual crime. Despite no credible evidence, she was arrested based on a counter-allegation by the alleged offender. Dannika was subjected to a humiliating strip search, during which she was left naked without a blanket for modesty.

Lack of Empathy and Poor Treatment in Custody

The report also highlights a lack of empathy in custody suites, with detainees being denied medication, basic personal necessities, and suitable toilet facilities. One detainee, Mark Dove, was left naked in a cell for eight hours and denied food and water during his 10-hour detention.

Recommendations and Response

Dame Vera’s report makes several recommendations, including phasing out strip searches for welfare reasons, better training for officers to manage the effects of domestic and sexual trauma, and introducing independent oversight in GMP complaints management.

Chief Constable Stephen Watson acknowledged the findings and accepted the recommendations, committing to implementing them fully. He stated, “These issues are of the utmost importance and highlight the need to maintain the highest professional standards. These must reflect our duty, and moral obligation, to respect and uphold the dignity of all detainees but with a particular focus on women and girls.

Changes Already Implemented by GMP

GMP has introduced several changes in response to the findings:

• Discontinuation of anti-tear clothing.
• Assignment of a dedicated female welfare officer to every female detainee.
• Proactive issuance of bespoke sealed packs containing feminine sanitary products to all female detainees.
• Improved transparency, governance, and scrutiny of strip searches.
• A centralised standards and compliance team now examines between 150-200 examples of detentions per month to ensure adherence to the highest standards.

The Baird Inquiry has shed light on serious issues within GMP, and the implementation of its recommendations aims to ensure that such abuses of power are not repeated. The public and victims of abuse will be closely watching to see if these promised changes lead to meaningful improvements in how the police treat vulnerable individuals