Can do better

'If it gets repeated that you are useless often enough, everybody starts to believe it whether it is true or whether it is not and that is the tragedy of it.' These are the words of Mick Taylor, chairman of Nottinghamshire Police Federation, speaking after his force was publically damned for its performance in a number of policing areas.

Since last Saturday (13 March), members of the public across England and Wales have had a whole host of information about their local police force at their fingertips. By accessing HM Inspectorate of Constabulary's mypolice.org.uk website, they can discover how many beat bobbies a basic command unit area has, how likely they are to be a victim of a stabbing or shooting and whether they would be safer in another force area among other information.

The site has been launched, according to Denis O'Connor, HM chief inspector of constabulary, in response to the public's request for information. But along with it, came public criticism for the forces that appear to have fared worse. On the new website, HMIC has published school-style report cards grading forces for their performance in four areas; local crime and policing; protection from serious harm; confidence and satisfaction; and value for money. Possible gradings are excellent, good, fair and poor, with 'meeting standard' another option.

So, how useful is HMIC's newest initiative? Do the report cards paint an accurate picture of what is going on in forces?