Jacqui Smith launches
crime and justice pioneer areas and congratulates Essex police for
delivering the first policing pledge
HOME OFFICE News
Release (183/2008) issued by COI News Distribution Service. 4
November 2008
Sixty areas across
the country have signed up to become new neighbourhood crime and
justice pioneer areas, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced
today. She also congratulated Essex on being the first police
force to deliver the new national Policing Pledge.
Delivering a key recommendation of the Casey Review, and
supported by £5.6 million, the new pioneer areas will each appoint
a dedicated person - a Neighbourhood Crime and Justice (NCJ)
Co-ordinator to ensure that Community Payback in the local
community is visible and tough, that victims of crime are
supported to reduce re-offending and that the public know the
rights that the new national Policing Pledge gives them.
The new coordinators will be a powerful force to take forward the
radical vision set out in the Casey Review and Policing Green
Paper to give the public a greater say in the way their streets
are policed and how offenders are dealt with. The new coordinators
will work to:
* let the public know their entitlement in the new Policing
Pledge so that they know their rights, know who their
neighbourhood policing team are, how they can hold them to account
and the minimum level of service they should expect;
* open up the criminal justice system so that there are clear and
public consequences for criminals that the public get to know
about, including more visible Community Payback; and,
* ensure that services and support for victims and witnesses like
separate seating arrangements at court are up to scratch.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said
"The public have told us what they want from policing and
the justice system - services that listen and act on their
priorities. But sometimes the criminal justice system can feel
remote and appear more interested in supporting offenders than
punishing them or protecting communities. We are determined to
take action on this across Government.
"I am grateful to all of the 60 pioneer areas for signing up
to take action to open up the criminal justice system so that the
public can see the tough consequences for those that break the law
and also drive forward the action needed so that the public know
what their rights are from the police and other agencies when they
are suffering crime and anti-social behaviour. The new
neighbourhood crime and justice coordinators will be a dedicated
resource to act on the public's behalf to make sure that
justice is done and seen to be done in their local
communities."
Justice Secretary Jack Straw said:
"I'm determined to continue the transformation of the
justice system into a service for victims and witnesses - one
where people know it is on the side of the law-abiding majority.
To do this we must open up the system further, making it more
transparent and showing people through clear examples such as
tough, visible Community Payback. The pioneer areas will be a
vital part of this - and they are another step in the reforming of
the justice system for the benefit of all."
Also today, the Home Secretary and the Neighbourhood Crime and
Justice Adviser, Louise Casey, visited Essex Police Force to
congratulate them on being the first in the country to publicly
meet the national standards and commitments in the national
Policing Pledge. Both initiatives are in direct response to the
Casey Review which heard from over 10,000 members of the public
about what they want from the police and the criminal justice system.
For the first time the Policing Pledge gives the public a clear
minimum standard of service, including:
* the police be with them within an hour in response to calls
about agreed neighbourhood priorities where police attendance is required;
* the right to meet with their local team and others in the
community to agree priorities and action to tackle them at least
once a month and an entitlement to crime maps, information on
specific crimes and information about what happened to those
brought to justice in their neighbourhood; and,
* that neighbourhood policing teams will spend at least 80
percent of their time visibly working on behalf of the public in
their neighbourhood.
All 43 Police Forces across England and Wales have signed up to
deliver the pledge for their communities by the end of the year.
The pledge is part of a radical programme of reform set out in the
Policing Green Paper earlier this year. Other reforms include
removing all but one central target imposed on police forces - to
increase public confidence that the police and other agencies are
dealing with local crime and anti-social behaviour priorities.
Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire Constabulary and Association of
Chief Police Officers' lead on citizen focus Julie Spence said:
"Local neighbourhoods were the bedrock on which policing in
the UK was first built, and chief officers are unswervingly
committed to a visible, accessible, responsive and familiar
policing style focussed on the expectations and needs of local
people. ACPO is determined to reaffirm these valued policing
traditions which the Policing Green Paper and Casey Review present.
"I hope the national policing pledge will help reassure the
public that policing is responsive to their needs. Linked to this
national pledge, at a local level policing teams in each area will
strike their own deals, focussed on the needs of citizens they
serve, so that local people can influence the policing of their
streets and neighbourhoods to ensure it addresses the issues which
matter most to them."
The Home Secretary added:
"The public are our strongest weapon in tackling crime and I
passionately believe that empowering them to get a good deal
through the Policing Pledge will play a powerful role in driving
up the quality of policing for our citizens and in our communities.
"I congratulate Essex police force for being the first force
to fully implement the pledge for their public. For the first
time the public will know the minimum standard of service they
should receive and I look forward to all forces making the same,
visible commitment to their local communities."
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. Areas were invited to bid to become Pioneer Areas on the basis
of a variety of data including deprivation, population size and
crime information. However, equally important in agreeing bids was
their determination to work with local communities to address
local concerns about crime, anti-social behaviour and justice.
2. Funding of £5.6m is available to support the Neighbourhood
Crime & Justice Pioneer Areas in 2008/09 and 2009/10.
3. This announcement follows on from the announcement of funding
for 'Community Crime Fighters', another recommendation
from the Casey review. Community Crime Fighters are members of
the public who will be offered free training and support to get
the best from local criminal justice services and are distinct
from the coordinators who will be paid for posts within local authorities.
4. The commitment to implement a Policing Pledge was set out in
the Green Paper - From the Neighbourhood to the National: Policing
our Communities Together. The final pledge has all 43 forces
signed up to deliver the commitment by the end of the year. It
will give local people a stronger voice and the means to challenge
their local force if they are not getting the service they expect.
The pledge also includes clear standards for the amount of time
spent on the beat, easy ways to contact your local neighbourhood
team and clear response times to all calls and incidents.
5. The Neighbourhood Crime and Justice Pioneer Areas are:
Barking & Dagenham
Barnsley
Birmingham
Blackburn
with
Darwen
Blackpool
Bolton
Bradford
Brent
Bristol
Caerphilly
Camden
Cardiff
Doncaster
Greenwich
Hackney
Halton
Hammersmith
& Fulham
Haringey
Islington
Kingston upon
Hull
Kirklees
Knowsley
Lambeth
Leicester
Lewisham
Liverpool
Luton
Manchester
Middlesbrough
Newcastle
upon Tyne
Newham
Newport
North East
Lincolnshire
Northampton
Nottingham
Nuneaton and
Bedworth
Oldham
Peterborough
Preston
Redcar &
Cleveland
Rochdale
Rotherham
Salford
Sandwell
Sheffield
Slough
South
Tyneside
Southampton
Southwark
St.
Helens
Stoke-on-Trent
Sunderland
Swansea
Tameside
Thanet
Tower
Hamlets
Wakefield
Walsall
Waltham Forest
Wolverhampton
6. The Policing Pledge is:
THE POLICE SERVICE IN ENGLAND AND WALES 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 and
suitable for you.
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.
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
percent of their time visibly working in your neighbourhood,
tackling your priorities. Staff turnover will be minimised.
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.
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. In urban
areas, we will aim to get to you within 15 minutes and in rural
areas within 20 minutes.
6. Answer all non-emergency calls promptly. If attendance is
needed, send a patrol giving you an estimated time of arrival, and:
* If you are vulnerable or upset aim to be with you within 60 minutes.
* If you are calling about an issue that we have agreed with your
community will be a neighbourhood priority (listed below) and
attendance is required, we will aim to be with you within 60 minutes.
* Alternatively, if appropriate, we will make an appointment to
see you at a time that fits in with your life and within 48 hours.
* If agreed that attendance is not necessary we will give you
advice, answer your questions and / or put you in touch with
someone who can help.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The national standards are then followed by the local part about
your neighbourhood.
020 7035 3535