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8 January 2009
The Home Secretary today joined Merseyside Police to witness their work with local communities to tackle crime and deliver the new Policing Pledge to local people.
Visiting Picton Neighbourhood and Children’s Health Centre in Liverpool, the Home Secretary joined a community meeting between officers and local residents discussing policing priorities for the area. They witnessed first hand the positive impact of neighbourhood policing and the growing involvement of communities in the fight against crime.
Giving local people a say
Following the meeting, Chief Constable Bernard Hogan-Howe and representatives from the neighbourhood policing team unveiled the national Policing Pledge which the force is delivering for the people of Merseyside.
The Pledge is a new and clear deal about what the public can expect from the police. It gives local people an unprecedented say over how their communities are policed and the opportunity to hold the police to account – to ensure they are getting the service they want. The public can also be confident that the police are delivering the same set of national service standards throughout the country while still delivering action on the issues that are local priorities.
Statement from the Home Secretary
Jacqui Smith said, 'The public are our strongest weapon in tackling crime and the Policing Pledge is a clear deal about what you can expect from the police. I passionately believe that building confidence by giving you more local crime information, listening to your concerns and making your priorities our priorities we will drive up the quality of policing for you and your communities.
'I congratulate Merseyside Police for its hard work and dedication to deliver the Policing Pledge for its public. For the first time, you will know the minimum standard of service you should receive and you will have a greater say and influence over how your streets are policed.
'From this week everyone has easy access to up to date crime information about their local area. Every police force website now has crime maps informing people about crime patterns and hotspots. I want people to be empowered by this information and take advantage of the new deal policing pledge to engage more with their neighbourhood policing teams.'
Statement from the Chief Constable of Merseyside Police
Bernard Hogan-Howe said, 'I am proud that the people of Merseyside are already receiving policing services that meet and exceed the standards of the National Policing Pledge. For example the Force and the Police Authority have set a more demanding target time of attending emergencies within 10 minutes and we are achieving this in over 94% of cases.
'We have also given a commitment to visit members of the public where they request this, regardless of the nature of the incident. This is in addition to our delivery of the commitments in the Pledge.
'Reaffirming our commitment to the public today is part of our total policing approach of a total war on crime and total care for victims.'
Radical reforms
The Policing Pledge (new window) is one part of a package of radical reforms set out in the Policing Green Paper (new window) last year to build on achievements like the 40% reduction in crime since 1997. These include a single target to drive up public confidence, more local crime information for the public and further measures to cut red tape, getting more officers back out on the beat.
People across England and Wales can now also access details of crime trends in the areas where they live at the push of a button. The neighbourhood crime maps, now on the websites of all 43 police forces, provide a rich picture of crime in police force areas, volume of crime as well as crime trends and comparisons with the rest of the country.
Notes to editors
The national Policing Pledge gives the public a clear minimum standard of service, including:
- contact telephone numbers and maximum response times to emergency, urgent or priority calls to give you the service you need, when you need it; regular street surgeries and meetings between the local police and the community to agree priorities and actions to address these. These will be held where it’s convenient for you; your local supermarket, church hall, football club – or even mother and baby group
- local crime information including what has happened to those brought to justice in your neighbourhood
- more visible policing; neighbourhood policing teams will spend at least 80% of their time visibly working on behalf of the public in their neighbourhood.
In addition to the national standard every neighbourhood will have a local pledge by which to hold their local teams to account and includes contact details of their local team and how and where the teams will meet up with the public to discuss their feedback, concerns and local priorities for action.
