Welcome to this edition of Viewpoint, where you will see how well Lancashire Constabulary performed in the 12 months to 31 March, 2011.  It also covers the local policing plan, which sets out how the Constabulary will police Lancashire over the coming years, updates you on the progress of the Police and Social Responsibility Bill, and considers how we can continue to use our resources to best possible effect.

If you have any queries on these or any other topics within our remit, then please get in touch.

Crime Continues to Fall across Lancashire

Crime has continued to fall in Lancashire, and the latest statistics show there were 4,849 fewer victims of crime in the county last year.

The end of year statistics for April 2010–March 2011 show that Lancashire Constabulary saw reductions in a number of different areas, despite the unprecedented low levels of crime already achieved.

Reports of crime fell by 4.5% from 107,345 to 102,496 while detections rose from 35.4% to 37%, meaning more criminals are being put before the courts.

Burglary figures have been at a 30-year low – and now they have dropped again, as 69 fewer people reported burglaries in their homes last year; a further reduction of 1.6%.  Vehicle crime, another area at a 30 year low, continues to fall with 664 fewer victims last year.  This is a decrease of 7.6% from 8,778 incidents to 8,114. Detection rates for this area of crime also rose, from 25.6% to 28.9%.

Criminal damage reports are also down – the reduction from 25,135 incidents to 20,761 means there were 4,374 fewer victims.

Communities are continuing to work closely with their neighbourhood police teams to deal with local issues and as a result incidents of anti-social behaviourhave reduced by 14,193 (10.1%) to 126,349.

Lancashire Constabulary is acknowledged as a top performing force.  However, it is one thing to reach the top, but quite another to remain there and these figures show that, despite the funding cuts and changes that are taking place, there has been no let up in the fight against crime. 

The Chief Constable has promised to retain the focus on further improvements despite reductions in the budget.

Policing plan vows to protect high-quality performance

The Police Authority has approved a policing plan outlining Lancashire Constabulary’s key priorities and goals over the next five years.  It is designed to make Lancashire’s communities even safer while responding to the feedback from local residents.

The Operational Objective during 2011/2012 is to: “Provide the highest quality policing service to the public of Lancashire, preventing and detecting the crime and anti-social behaviour that affects them and protecting those who are most vulnerable in our communities.”
 
To achieve this, key public concerns will be targeted including counter terrorism, anti-social behaviour, burglary and vehicle crime, violent crime, protecting vulnerable people, serious and organised crime and road safety.  Success will be measured against local indicators monitored closely by the Authority.  We will report back to you on progress throughout the year.

In line with public wishes, an important element of this year’s plan is to protect local policing services. Despite current economic pressures we, like the public, want to see a local policing that is visible, accessible and responsive.  To achieve this, the Constabulary will build on the success of neighbourhood policing and ensure neighbourhood officers continue to act on the needs and concerns of the communities they serve.

As part of local policing, the Authority and Force will also work more closely with partner agencies to jointly solve a range of issues to improve the quality of life of Lancashire’s communities.

Making the Most of our Money

The policing plan also highlights the Force and Authority’s commitment to improving efficiency and sets Value for Money as a key strategic priority. The organisations aim to continuously review and redesign internal systems and operational processes to ensure they are cost-effective and are achieving results.

The Police Authority believe that there has never been such a critical time to re-evaluate resources and deliver value for money, and also to ensure that this reflects all of the range of issues covered by the police.

Thankfully, previous investment in key areas, such as ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition), PCSOs and protective services (such as tackling serious and organised crime) are helping to improve detection rates and tackle crime across Lancashire.  This investment has also supported the neighbourhood policing which people value so highly.

We are now working to balance severe economic pressures against expectations from the public which means that we need to achieve both value for money and meet performance standards by using all our resources to maximum effect.  With less money available it is inevitable that areas of our service will have to be reassessed.

The early planning and advance preparation work means that we can meet our current savings targets. However, it is a fact that difficult decisions will still need to be made in the future.  Our ultimate priority and responsibility is to the residents of Lancashire, which is why all our decisions are based on a risk-based approach, in order to do everything we can to keep people safe.

Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill

This Bill has had to be reprinted to incorporate the changes made during the Joint Committee’s consideration of the Bill (there were 560 amendments – a record for the Commons).

It had its third reading in the House of Commons on 30 and 31 March 2011 when it went through with a majority of 118 votes.

This was followed by the first reading in the House of Lords which took place on 1 April - this stage is a formality that signals the start of the Bill's journey through the Lords.  The second reading, the general debate on all aspects of the Bill, took place on 27 April.

The Authority is making sure that Lancashire’s needs and views are represented as the Bill takes shape and the transition process gathers pace. 

We have expressed our concerns to the Home Affairs Select Committee and to the Lancashire Peers who sit in the Lords.

April 2011