HMIC placed West Midlands police in “Engage”, known colloquially as special measures, after an inspection. It will be seen as a sign of the crisis gripping policing. When I joined WMP … I recognised there needed to be a significant improvement in the force’s performance, the number of offenders brought to justice and the service we provide to local communities. The clear-up rate for West Midlands police had fallen to 3% by December 2022, but has since trebled. Given a man has died after being shot by police, our role is to investigate all of the circumstances surrounding this incident including the actions and decisions taken by the police. My name's Elin and I'm a sergeant for North Wales Police covering response on Anglesey. I'm Dylan's supervisor so I'm his sergeant. Dylan's very enthusiastic, very, very hard working. There's no incident that he won't respond to. He is very good at talking to people. He's got very good communication skills. He is also very nosey so that also helps.

There were clashes with riot police as some demonstrators let off flares and fireworks, while others grabbed chairs and stools from outside bars and restaurants. IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: “Our thoughts are with the man’s family and all of those affected by this tragic incident. We ask them to do an incredibly difficult job every day and make split second decisions under huge pressure. The ‘Engage’ process provides additional scrutiny and support from the inspectorate and other external organisations in the policing sector.”West Midlands joins four other forces in special measures, including the country’s biggest, the Metropolitan police. The other forces judged to be failing and of concern are Devon and Cornwall, Staffordshire and Wiltshire.

People smashed store windows and set off fireworks, turning the night air acrid. Loud bangs echoed across the city. When asked why they were there, members of the crowd threatened journalists and claimed the media were not telling the truth about immigration.

We have gone from being one of the worst call-handling forces to one of the best in 11 months; and have improved the proportion of emergency incidents attended within our specified targets by 25%.” The IOPC is independently investigating this matter. It is right that officers are held to account when shots are fired, and we will work with the IOPC to provide all the information they need to carry out their inquiries. Another chief constable told the Guardian that police leaders increasingly feel the inspectorate is treating them unfairly, making unrealistic demands and failing to appreciate limited resources mean choices have to be made. “You cannot get a gold star for everything,” they said.