WIREDGOV

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.

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