The National Policing Pledge and what it means in Hertfordshire.

The National Policing Pledge was introduced at the end of 2008 by all forces across England and Wales setting out some of the standards of service people should expect from their local police force. 

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Miller

In Hertfordshire, however, initiatives to continually improve levels and quality of service have been in place for many years – tied into the development of local Safer Neighbourhood  policing.  Recently, Hertfordshire was one of only three forces graded as “exceeding national standards” for citizen focussed policing by Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabularies and we have some of the highest satisfaction rates in the country.

Despite this good performance, we are not complacent and are driving forward initiatives to further improve levels of satisfaction, reassurance and confidence.  Hertfordshire has some of the lowest crime and disorder rates in the country and these rates have been consistently falling over the past six years; but low crime rates are not good enough on their own – we want you to also have confidence in us and be wholly satisfied by the service you receive whenever you have the need to contact us.

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Miller – Citizen Focus 

THE POLICE SERVICE IN HERTFORDSHIRE WILL SUPPORT LAW ABIDING CITIZENS AND PURSUE CRIMINALS RELENTLESSLY TO KEEP YOU AND YOUR NEIGHBOURHOODS SAFE FROM HARM. WE WILL: -

1. Always treat you fairly with dignity and respect ensuring you have fair access to our services at a time that is reasonable for you.

Staff in Hertfordshire Constabulary take this seriously as evidenced by us having some of the highest satisfaction rates in the country.  We have achieved this in part through an initiative called  “Personal Touch – bringing more to Policing” which empowers staff and gives them the confidence and ability to deliver the best service which meets the individual needs of each member of the public.

2. Provide you with information so you know who your dedicated Neighbourhood Policing Team is, where they are based, how to contact them and how to work with them.

Hertfordshire Constabulary introduced local neighbourhood officers eight years ago with 60 ward constables – today there are over 500 local police officers and police community support officers working at local level.  Our web site contains all the contact details and local priorities for your area and details on how you can get in touch and have an input into these priorities.  The web site is supported by local newsletters, public meetings and the use of the force’s mobile police stations.

3. Ensure your Neighbourhood Policing Team and other police patrols are visible and on your patch at times when they will be most effective and when you tell us you most need them. We will ensure your team are not taken away from neighbourhood business more than is absolutely necessary. They will spend at least 80% of their time visibly working in your neighbourhood, tackling your priorities. Staff turnover will be minimised.

We understand how important an issue this is for you - Hertfordshire Constabulary has been measuring how much time our local officers spend in their local areas for several years now with strict guidelines on where and how local staff should be working.  Hertfordshire Police Authority scrutinise our performance on your behalf to ensure that local staff are available to respond to issues of concern in your local area.

4. Respond to every message directed to your Neighbourhood Policing Team within 24 hours and, where necessary, provide a more detailed response as soon as we can.
Hertfordshire Constabulary has direct access details listed for all local policing teams on their web site through which you are able to contact a named member of staff by either email or telephone directly – if that person is not on duty members of the team will respond in their absence.  Alternatively local neighbourhood teams are being listed in local telephone directories or can always be contacted through our single non emergency contact number – 0845 33 00 22

5. Aim to answer 999 calls within 10 seconds, deploying to emergencies immediately giving an estimated time of arrival, getting to you safely, and as quickly as possible. We will aim to get to you within 15 minutes

Call handling and response times have been measured in Hertfordshire for many years and Hertfordshire Police Authority scrutinise these on your behalf to ensure that we maintain and improve performance.  Over 90% of calls and emergencies are answered and attended within these times.

6. Answer all non-emergency calls promptly. If attendance is needed, send a patrol giving you an estimated time of arrival, and:

Hertfordshire Constabulary has had stringent targets for answering non emergency calls for several years and in response to the pledge we have introduced new response grades for dealing with local priorities.   Our call handlers are trained to assess the nature of the call and the vulnerability of the caller and ensuring that they receive the best service appropriate to their needs and they also have information on what the local priorities are in your area.

7. Arrange regular public meetings to agree your priorities, at least once a month, giving you a chance to meet your local team with other members of your community. These will include opportunities such as surgeries, street briefings and mobile police station visits which will be arranged to meet local needs and requirements.

Whilst we continue to hold formal public meetings we appreciate that attending such meetings is not for everyone! Hence, Hertfordshire Constabulary officers and staff use a wide range of methods to listen to your opinions and feedback – local officers and staff are as likely to gain valuable insights from talking to parents at the school gate or in a mobile police station.  This feedback is all captured and used to help inform local priorities.  Hertfordshire Constabulary is also organised to make use of existing links with local councils and other partners to ensure that we are jointly working on the issues that are important to you.

8. Provide monthly updates on progress, and on local crime and policing issues. This will include the provision of crime maps, information on specific crimes and what happened to those brought to justice, details of what action we and our partners are taking to make your neighbourhood safer and information on how your force is performing.

Hertfordshire Constabulary’s web site contains latest updates on local priorities and actions being taken to reduce crime and disorder in your local area - click HERE for our Neighbourhood Policing Teams – these are updated monthly, as are local crime maps which gives you access to council ward level crime statistics.  The Constabulary also issue over 1,500 press releases every year to ensure that your local news paper can keep you informed.  Once a year we produce, with Hertfordshire Police Authority, an annual report on the Constabulary’s performance that is distributed to over four hundred thousand households in the county.

9. If you have been a victim of crime, agree with you how often you would like to be kept informed of progress in your case and for how long. You have the right to be kept informed at least every month if you wish and for as long as is reasonable.

Hertfordshire Constabulary realises that as a victim of crime you require and deserve a caring and high quality service.  Not only do we take seriously our responsibilities under the national Code of Practise for Victims of Crime we also produce our own information and advice pack - click HERE to see the advice pack (in PDF format) - Hertfordshire Constabulary was one of the first forces to introduce real time quality sampling:  frontline sergeants make contact with a sample of victims whom their staff have delivered a service to every month to monitor the quality of the service given and ensure people are satisfied and further support given if required.

10. Acknowledge any dissatisfaction with the service you have received within 24 hours of reporting it to us. To help us fully resolve the matter, discuss with you how it will be handled, give you an opportunity to talk in person to someone about your concerns and agree with you what will be done about them and how quickly.

Hertfordshire Constabulary can be contacted through several methods if you are not entirely happy with the service you have received - or if you want to let us know where we have done well!  These methods are listed on our web site – click HERE for more info... – and include how to contact us by letter, email, phone or even through third party organisations – such as Citizens’ Advice – if for whatever reason you do not wish to speak to us directly.

We also want you to be able to give us feedback – positive or negative – on a regular basis and that is why all enquiry offices have feedback cards.  You can also feedback via our web site and we carry out on the spot surveys of people who have been stopped and searched by us as well as having a regular programme of telephone satisfaction surveys.  The Constabulary also offer the opportunity for you to accompany police officers and PCSOs on patrol or visit our control room.  click HERE for more info...

We want to do our best for you but if we fail to meet our Pledge, we will always explain why it has not been possible on that occasion to deliver the high standards to which we aspire and you deserve.