His professionalism as a politician carried him through.He had – in the current Washington jargon – “a good story to tell”. By luck or judgement (depending on your political allegiance), he presides over one of the most flourishing economic periods in the United States this century.As he put it: “These are good times for Americans We have more than 14 million new jobs The lowest unemployment in 24 years The lowest core inflation in 30 years. He offered a warm compliment to his wife.
Yet this normally fluent orator and political “natural” appeared to stumble twice over his words There was no fire in his eyes The lustre of power that has always shone from him was gone. So, despite the orchestrated applause and ovations, also missing was his exuberant delight in just being President. He delivered a 75-minute speech with directness and conviction. Emergency response times had also improved.In contrast Durham had received an 18 per cent funding rise but showed declines in the number of crimes detected per officer and the proportion of violent crimes solved.

The total number of crimes detected was virtually unchanged.On the positive side the report found that two-thirds of forces had improved the speed at which they responded to emergencies.The overall clear-up rate for violent crime showed a 2 per cent increase to 76 per cent while the detection rate for burglaries remained static at 15 per cent.Most of the public was satisfied with the police, though about 60 per cent want more officers on patrol.. But, as Our Correspondent in Washington reports, Tuesday’s speech served only to underline the gravity of the US President’s difficulties

No one could doubt Mr Clinton’s courage under fire He entered the Congressional Chamber with a smile. It attracted the biggest television audience ever for a State of the Union address. It was billed as the most important speech of Bill Clinton’s political life. For example the percentage of violent crimes solved varies from 44 per cent in the West Midlands to 71 per cent in West Yorkshire.The West Midlands force came bottom in several categories despite a 10 per cent real-terms increase in funding in the past four years.The number of crimes solved by each detective also varied significantly between similar forces. In the Home Counties it ranged from 5.6 in Surrey to 12 in Kent.The Devon and Cornwall force had a 2 per cent budget cut yet showed improvements in detection rates for violent offences, burglary and crime overall.

Some forces with the biggest reductions in police officer numbers showed the biggest improvements in percentage of crimes cleared up.”The report says that what matters is how resources are managed. Some forces were found to provide extra beat officers in response to public demand, but give them few if any tasks, effectively letting them wander around aimlessly.Big differences in performance were found between similar forces. “What is worrying is that in a small number of forces, performance has dropped in their key areas over the same four-year period during which these forces have spent significantly more money,” it says.It adds: “Nor is there any correlation between changes in numbers of police officers and changes in the numbers of recorded crimes. Some police forces are solving fewer crimes despite getting more funding.