“I am very disappointed to learn that Staffordshire Police have – alongside five other police forces – been placed under special measures” says Michael Fabricant.

“London’s Metropolitan Police, Greater Manchester, Cleveland, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire have also been placed under special measures following inspections by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary.

“I know that concerns have been expressed about police response times in Staffordshire including the speed with which 999 emergency calls are answered and the time the police respond to such calls.

“Many of these are legacy issues and I hope that with the new Chief Constable in place along with the new policing model which will see more localised operations, further inspections will demonstrate the faster response times and detection rates we all desire.  I think it is clear that the previous more centralised way of working based on just three hubs in a large county like Staffordshire, just didn’t work.  I’m glad we are moving away from that.

“Once Chief Constable Chris Noble has had a chance to fully consider the Inspectorate’s report, I will discuss with him what further changes may need to be made.”