There was no area of policing where a direct comparison with private firms was "more valid, but unfortunately more damning", the
HMIC concluded
But Mr Clive Roche, deputy to the Chief Constable in the West Midlands, said the force would demand an explanation from
HMIC over the criticism.
The
HMIC also says it wants to see the force make improvements to improve
In the
HMIC report - In Harm's Way: The Role of the Police in Keeping Children Safe - more than a third of 576 cases examined by
HMIC inspectors across eight police forces were deemed "inadequate".
HMIC needs to return regularly to check the changes are working and we are getting a proper reflection of the crime toll in our area.
" Durham Police had to save PS20.8m over four years,
HMIC said, which meant losing 252 police -cers, 79 sta and 17 police community support o-cers - a total loss of 348 sta or 13% of the total.
The
HMIC report said of Durham: "The force has extensive and creative plans in place to meet a variety of future scenarios of demand and budget and is well-placed to meet any future circumstances.
What is needed now is for Cleveland police officers and staff, the
HMIC and the IPCC to be allowed to get on with their jobs.
But as previously reported in the Coventry Telegraph, a random inspection by
HMIC of 100 stop and search forms in Warwickshire found that officers did not have reasonable grounds to do so in 29 cases.
HMIC has graded one force, Durham, as outstanding, 24 forces as good and 18 forces as requiring improvement.