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Police chief defends 'worst force'
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A chief constable has defended her force's record after being ranked the worst-performing police in England and Wales.
Bedfordshire came bottom of an unofficial league table compiled by the Press Association based on Home Office data, scoring just one point out of a possible 21.
Two other forces - Thames Valley (seven points) and Wiltshire (eight points) - achieved relatively low marks and also had overall minus scores in separate ratings for year-on-year improvement. Greater Manchester, Lincolnshire, Humberside and Northamptonshire also scored seven points in ratings by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).
The report also revealed that the amount of time officers are spending on the front line has barely increased despite a massive drive by the Government. The national average stood at 64.2%, just 0.6% up on last year.
Home Office Minister Tony McNulty warned that forces are facing financially "tight" times as the Government published its long-awaited Comprehensive Spending Review. He said: "We are now entering a more flat-line period in terms of resources after seven or eight years of growth."
Asked about police inefficiency, he added: "The notion that this is still an inefficient public service is wrong. The notion that this is the last bastion of 1960s public service, again, could not be further from the truth."
Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Ronnie Flanagan said most forces made significant improvements on last year's results. But he added that some have identified specific areas for improvement, in particular in Bedfordshire where inspectors are working with the chief constable to turn the problems around.
"Bedfordshire has issues," said Sir Ronnie. "They are recognised and accepted by the force. We will be working with the force to see improvement brought about. I have no difficulty in predicting pretty rapid improvement in Bedfordshire."
City of London Police - the small, specialist force in the Square Mile - received the worst rating for "direction of travel". The separate table, which measures improvement or deterioration in performance, saw the City force receive a minus two rating. But Sir Ronnie said this was partly down to the force's unique status and the difficulty in comparing it with any other force.
Bedfordshire Chief Constable Gillian Parker said: "I am disappointed with this particular report and somewhat puzzled by some of the 'headline' results that in no way reflect the hard work that has been done. However, we are not dwelling on it and instead are concentrating on a continual programme of improvements aimed at providing the residents of Bedfordshire with the service they deserve."
