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Police and Crime Plan – it’s everybody’s business
2/8/2013
Commissioner David Lloyd today launches his draft Police and
Crime Plan for Hertfordshire. The plan sets out his blueprint
for building on good police services but raising the bar for the
police, their community safety partners and the public.
As part of his role as Police and Crime
Commissioner, Mr Lloyd sets the policing and community safety
priorities for the county on behalf of the residents, businesses
and communities across Hertfordshire he now represents.
The plan is entitled ‘Everyone’s Business’ to illustrate that
cutting crime and disorder is not just a matter for the police
alone. It will be presented to the Police and Crime Panel on 14th
February. It is now open for consultation until Friday 8th March
with the final plan being published later that month.
He said: “I’ve listened to what people told me about what is
most important to them; I have sought the views of Hertfordshire’s
leaders, its voluntary groups, professionals and citizens.
Hertfordshire is already one of the safest counties in the country
and I want to build on that success.”
Commissioner Lloyd puts forward some radical proposals that put
the public first, ensure offenders pay responsibly and
proportionately for the harm they cause and bring business sense to
policing.
“I have challenged the way things are done now, where we all pay
for the consequences of the few who engage in criminal behaviour; I
want to give a first class service to all victims of crime, no
matter how minor the crime appears to us – it may have a
considerable adverse effect on the victim – and I know that we can
learn much from industry, working smarter, involving the private
sector and making the best use of our assets, such as our police
stations which are in central and accessible locations across the
county.
“We can learn more about customer care from businesses with a
national reputation for excellence and I want to put in place
effective tracking of the progress of an investigation by the
victims themselves so they have assurance when they want it.”
He will be soon be launching a Drive Safe initiative, to help
communities tackle dangerous driving where they live, and is
setting up a Commissioner’s Fund inviting bids from innovative
local schemes that cut crime.
Probation Service staff are working with the Commissioner on
establishing more courses, following the success of Speed
Awareness, paid for by offenders themselves, that aim to change
behaviour and address impulsive and violent acts. He will be
working with the Home Office to expand the range of cases the
police can prosecute directly. This will speed up the criminal
justice process, provide a swifter positive outcome for victims and
enable the constabulary to recoup some of the costs of crime as
part of an offender’s reparation. And for those who don’t pay their
court fines, he will be engaging a private sector partner to help
recover the money owed.
“The message is clear, we all have choices but we need to accept
the consequences too. If you commit crime in Hertfordshire you can
be sure that we will be coming after you - through the courts and
through your wallets.”
Setting up a commercial unit will assess new and innovative ways
to secure additional funding and create business partnerships,
helping to keep taxes low.
Commissioner Lloyd said: “The plan is called “Everybody’s
Business” because I believe that we can all do more to make our
county better. The police can improve, members of the public
can do more to help fight crime and businesses can also contribute
to create the type of society that we want to live and work
in.”
He also wants to develop a programme, with Hertfordshire’s youth
offending service, which aims to keep young people away from crime,
and channel their energy and entrepreneurial spirit constructively,
by linking young people at risk with mentors from the business
world.
He added: “It is my role to provide strategic leadership across
policing and the wider services that work to cut crime – not to
duplicate the work of the Chief Constable. The Constabulary is a
high-performing force with strong senior team, who are experts on
operational policing. So, there are no direct policing targets in
my plan - I trust the Chief Constable, Andy Bliss, and his staff to
put
together the right operational response that will deliver my
objectives.”
Chief Constable Andy Bliss said: “The Commissioner and I have
already forged a very positive and forwarding-thinking partnership
that I believe will take Hertfordshire from strength to strength. I
am looking forward to working with the Commissioner on his
innovative ideas on behalf of the people of Hertfordshire.
“We will not tolerate criminal behaviour in this county and we
will continue to pursue criminals relentlessly, cut crime and keep
people safe.”
The full plan can be viewed at http://www.hertscommissioner.org/
or can be sent on request by emailing the.plan@herts.pnn.police.uk
or by post to Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire,
Leahoe House, Pegs Lane, Hertford SG13 8DE.
The Police and Crime Panel will be asked to comment on the plan,
and will be meeting with the Commissioner at their meeting on 14th
February. The Commissioner is seeking comments, not just from the
panel but from professionals, local leaders and members of the
public in Hertfordshire. He will publish the final plan to take
effect from 1st April 2013.
For the next year Hertfordshire Constabulary will carry out the
undertakings in the plan and Commissioner Lloyd will begin
consultation on the next plan for April 2014.
Highlights of ‘building on success’ include targets for an
overall crime reduction of two per cent, a continued reduction in
anti-social behaviour and a commitment to maintain numbers working
in the Safer Neighbourhood Teams.