Neighbourhood Policing is the bedrock of British Policing. The skills, dedication and courage of our neighbourhood officers are key to keeping our streets safe. Our Neighbourhood Policing Areas must be given the resources, and working practices that they need to build effective relationships with the local communities, respond quickly to crime and deal with Anti-Social Behaviour. I am determined to see effective and efficient neighbourhood policing.
I will:
- Call on the Chief Constable to draw up guidance within my first six months in office that sets out clearly what a local community and its elected representatives [parish councils, councillors, MPs] can expect by way of service and communication from the local beat team. I will ensure that this guidance is monitored and the results are published.
- Require the Chief Constable to prioritise Neighbourhood Policing in terms of personnel, resources and equipment.
- Monitor the frequency neighbourhood beat officers are redirected to other duties and hold the Chief Constable to account if this “extraction rate” rises above 20 per cent in any given month.
- Work with the Chief Constable to deliver Problem Oriented Policing Guidance into activity on the ground. I want to see the Leicestershire Police move away from a reactive way of working, attending reports as they are made, and repeatedly returning to the same problem hotspots to investigate the same kinds of crime.
- Ensure Leicestershire Police recognises that the successful delivery of targeted crime prevention is a worthwhile task and not a chore, with the inclusion of such tasks forming a stronger element of reviews.
- Free up officer time by launching a review of our paperwork systems to ensure that only information that is needed is recorded. I will lobby central government to cut down on the demands they make on our officers’ time filling in forms and paperwork of no obvious use.
- Ensure that the vehicle fleet is properly maintained with minimal backlogs for servicing. I will invest in more of the bikes and e-bikes that are currently in short supply and look at other new types of vehicle to help our neighbourhood patrols cover more ground while remaining highly visible.
- Undertake an assessment of the electric and hybrid vehicles being trialled to discover to which roles these vehicles are best suited, and adapt the purchasing policy accordingly.
- Consider the merit of launching a new team equipped with off-road motorbikes, quad bikes or similar to tackle antisocial behaviour and criminality in hard to reach areas.
- Continue to encourage the use of traditional headgear that makes an officer instantly recognisable in the street, together with new-style protective jackets that more closely resemble the public’s view of a police officer.
