Andy Burnham’s role as Mayor of Greater Manchester comes with a responsibility that is often overlooked. As well as leading the city region, he also holds the powers previously exercised by the Police and Crime Commissioner. That means he is ultimately responsible for overseeing Greater Manchester Police (GMP), setting priorities and holding the force to account.
As with housing, Burnham’s record on policing is more complex than either supporters or critics sometimes admit.
The strongest criticism of Burnham’s policing record is that one of the biggest scandals in the history of GMP happened on his watch.
In 2020, inspectors placed GMP into special measures after finding the force had failed to record more than 80,000 crimes in a single year. Around one in five reported crimes, and one in four violent crimes, were not being properly recorded. Inspectors described the service being provided to victims as poor, and the Chief Constable resigned shortly afterwards.
This was not a minor administrative failure. If crimes are not recorded, victims may not receive support, offenders may not be investigated and policymakers may not have an accurate picture of crime levels.
Critics argue that this raises questions about oversight. Burnham became responsible for policing in 2017. By the time inspectors intervened in 2020, the force had been under his supervision for more than three years. While he was not responsible for day-to-day management, accountability is a central part of the Police and Crime Commissioner role.
Supporters of Burnham point to the difficult circumstances GMP faced. The force had experienced years of funding pressures and was dealing with major operational challenges. Burnham himself argued that the problems were serious and required urgent action.
The more interesting question is what happened next.
Following the appointment of Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson in 2021, GMP began a remarkable recovery. The force emerged from special measures in 2022 and has since been described by inspectors as one of the most improved police forces in England and Wales. Recent inspections found significant improvements in effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy.
Crime outcomes have also improved. GMP reports that recorded crime fell by around 30,000 offences in the year to December 2024, while arrests and solved crimes increased significantly. More recent figures suggest crime continued to fall in 2025, with reductions in burglary, robbery and knife crime.
Burnham deserves some credit for supporting the turnaround and backing new leadership. It would be unfair to discuss the force’s failures without acknowledging the progress that followed.
Yet the recovery also creates a challenge for Burnham’s broader political narrative.
When discussing housing, transport or policing, Burnham often argues that local leaders lack the powers and resources needed to solve problems. In policing, however, the evidence points in a different direction.
The biggest improvements at GMP came not from major constitutional reform or new powers from Westminster. They came after changes in leadership, management, crime recording, neighbourhood policing and operational priorities.
That does not mean funding is irrelevant. But it does suggest that organisational culture and leadership can matter just as much as structural reform.
This becomes important when considering Burnham’s national ambitions.
If he were to become Prime Minister, many of the arguments he uses about local power would become less relevant. The question would no longer be whether he had enough authority to act. It would be whether the policies he advocates can deliver better outcomes than those already achieved through improved local leadership.
The lesson from Greater Manchester may therefore be different from the one Burnham often presents. The force’s lowest point occurred while he held oversight responsibility. Its recovery happened under his watch too. Both facts are true.
For Liberal Democrats, the broader lesson is that effective public services require more than money or new powers. They require strong accountability, competent leadership and a willingness to challenge failing institutions before problems become crises.
Andy Burnham’s policing record shows both the risks of weak oversight and the benefits of determined reform. Whether that amounts to a success story or a missed opportunity will depend on which side of that balance voters find more convincing.
* Iain Donaldson is the treasurer of the Rochdale Liberal Democrats.
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12 Comments
The reason that recorded crime fell is because GMP took a grown up approach to HOCR rules and started actually checking reports met the HOCR threshold before recording them as crimes (or CRI’s). A sensible, overdue move but not one that is indicative of any real progress in detection rate.
Watched P.M.Q.’s today. Thought Sir Keir Starmer handled it well with great dignity – which is more than I can say for Ms Badenoch who was shrill and cheap in her remarks not just towards the PM, but towards Bridget Philipson.
Mr Burnham sensibly and wisely stayed away.
After Burnhams arrival at Westminster hall on a Donkey – given the adulation he received, maybe he’s tired from such a long journey.
As for Phillipson, she deserves to be treated with contempt. Many of the education reforms have been nothing but spite.
@ Chloe…. and maybe Andy Burnham was showing a bit of decency and respect towards Sir Keir Starmer by not being a distraction in what was bound to be a very difficult occasion for the Prime Minister.
As for Bridget Phillipson I know of the difficulties she faced in childhood from my relatives where she came from in County Durham. It takes real determination and ability to get to Oxford and a good degree from a local comp in Washington….. and later even more courage and determination to organise and run a women’s refuge in Sunderland. If Chloe is referring to VAT on public school education then I disagree. Those who can afford £ 65,000 p.a. in fees at Eton can well afford to pay the VAT.
Sorry, Chloe, but I feel respect not contempt for Bridget Phillipson.
“which is more than I can say for Ms Badenoch who was shrill and cheap in her remarks”
I can’t recall ever being impressed with anything she has said…
‘The truth is that our freedoms are being subtly eroded in an era where emotion and sentiment are prized above reason and rationality’…
KB
Her poll rating amongst teachers is awful, & to read the teachers blogs about the reforms she put in place is an eye-opener.
Above all else, those calling for a grooming gangs inquiry – dog whistle politics. She’s a nasty piece of work. & KB is tight to call out her incompetence.
Poll rating amongst teachers ? But, they happily gobbled up the 10% pay rise Ms Phillipson arranged for them though, Chloe. As to being a nasty piece of work, I don’t think those who have been and are supported and benefited from the women’s refuge she set up in Tyne & Wear would agree.
I think Ms Badenoch is more deserving of your unpleasant epithet, but no doubt her turn to get her marching orders from the Tory Party will come soon enough.
>”. If Chloe is referring to VAT on public school education then I disagree. Those who can afford £ 65,000 p.a. in fees at Eton can well afford to pay the VAT.”
From objective analysis of the data, it seems the imposition of VAT has had little impact on the numbers of students already at fee paying schools whilst reducing new entrants by circa 7%. ie. hardly noticable at the individual school level – one pupil in a class of 20. Further analysis is needed to determine the demographic aspect of this, but I would not be surprised if it has pushed many on “more normal” incomes into remaining in the state sector. My biggest bug bear were those parents who would send their eldest son to fee paying school, but not their siblings and most definitely not their daughters…
The public schools are free to operate as bona fina education charities (which is effectively how state schools operate) and thus avoid having to put VAT on fees.
Burnham hasn’t yet been confirmed as PM but already the right wing media, and some on here, have decided that he’s not up to the job…
If memory serves, within weeks of his election as mayor the Manchester bombing took place.. Burnham’s immediate response drew praise from all sides (in stark contrast to the response of a certain mayor of London when faced with riots)…
The report on the actions of Manchester Fire service and police in the crisis was damning; Burnham’s response was to fire the leaders of both and replace them; resulting in measurable improvements from both..
Burnham was strong in getting £60 million out of a Tory government who offered £20million in Covid assistance.. Add to that hiss ‘Bee’ integrated transport system,, Liverpool-Manchester rail, ‘Good Growth Fund’”, etc.. and he looks a decent bet for a national leader..
A I’ve said before, Burnham didn’t get his “King of the North” moniker by falling off a paddleboard..
i
A few interesting points have emerged from the discussion.
Ryan is right to note that changes to crime recording practices can affect headline figures. Falling recorded crime does not automatically mean detection rates have improved. That is why I referred not only to crime levels but also to increases in arrests, solved crimes and the positive assessments from inspectors. The key point is that GMP’s recovery cannot be measured by a single statistic.
Several comments have moved into a wider debate about Andy Burnham’s political future. My article was not intended as either an endorsement or an attack. The central argument is that Burnham’s policing record contains both significant failure and significant improvement.
As expats points out, Burnham was widely praised for his response to the Manchester Arena attack and has undoubtedly been an influential Mayor. Equally, it remains true that GMP entered special measures while policing oversight sat with him. The force’s subsequent turnaround also happened under his watch. Ignoring either side of that ledger produces an incomplete picture.
That is why I described the record as “more complex than either supporters or critics sometimes admit”. Those who see Burnham as an unqualified success tend to downplay the scale of GMP’s failings. Those who portray him as a failure often overlook one of the most dramatic police force recoveries seen in recent years.
The question for voters is not whether Burnham deserves all the blame or all the credit. It is how much responsibility he should bear for each, and what that tells us about his suitability for higher office.
Our Police are the finest in the World, here they are in action.
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