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31 December 2008
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith today congratulated all 43 police forces for their outstanding commitment in reaching the momentous milestone of bringing the Policing Pledge to every community across England and Wales.
The pledge is a new and clear deal on what the public can expect from 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 working to the same set of national service standards throughout the country while still focusing on local priorities.
The policing pledge (new window) is one part of a package of radical reforms set out in the policing green paper (new window) earlier this 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.
Statement from the Home Secretary
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said, 'The public are our strongest weapon in tackling crime, and the policing pledge is a clear deal on 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 all 43 police forces for their hard work and dedication to deliver the policing pledge for their 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.
'The policing pledge is just part of a package of radical reforms introduced for the police this year which include cutting red tape to give the police more freedom to get on with the job of reducing crime and removing all but one central target imposed on police forces — to increase your confidence.'
Statement from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO)
ACPO's Ken Jones said, 'The national policing pledge for the first time sets out a clear framework within which customised local pledges can be developed. The tide of centrally driven targets and mandated activity is being turned back.
'The police service is committed to increasing public confidence through continual improvement of our service and the Pledge underlines our determination. However building confidence also demands that many of our partner agencies continue to step up and share the challenge with us.
'Police forces around the country are beginning to work with their local neighbourhoods to put the pledge into practice. Chiefs are also working with the Home Office, and other agencies, to make sure that the necessary cuts to bureaucracy, and changes to centralised target setting, continue to be delivered.
'These reforms are directly linked to the pledge, as they will deliver the needed headroom which local policing teams need to create a truly local service tailored to individual neighbourhoods.'
More about the pledge
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.
Local pledges
In addition to the national standard, every neighbourhood will have a local pledge that holds local teams to account. These will include contact details of their local team, and information on how and where the teams will meet with the public to discuss their feedback, concerns and local priorities.
The positive impact of neighbourhood policing and the growing involvement of communities in the fight against crime were witnessed firsthand by the Home Secretary on her visit to Crabb Cross today.
In her visit to the West Mercia Police (new window), the Home Secretary joined the Crabb Cross neighbourhood policing team as they met with members of the local community to discuss the pledge, and listen to their local priorities.
Notes for editors
- The policing green paper (new window) was published on 17 July 2008.
- We published our response to the policing green paper (new window) on 28 November 2008.
- As of 1 January 2009, every force across England and Wales will implement the new streamlined method of the stop and account procedure. This is an important step in the government’s commitment to reduce police bureaucracy and to free-up police officer time. When an individual is stopped by the police and asked to account for themselves, police officers will record that encounter via Airwave radio, ensuring that only the race of the individual is recorded together with the exact geographical location.
