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HMIC publishes Thematic report on Neighbourhood Policing and developing citizen focus
Neighbourhood Policing is now a core part of policing across England and Wales but progress varies considerably between forces, a new report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary said today.
The report followed an inspection of all 43 police forces to assess the progress made in embedding the Neighbourhood Policing programme since it began in 2005, until its full roll-out in March 2008.
The inspection found that the programme has been adopted across the country, with 3,600 teams now dedicated to Neighbourhood Policing.
It praises several forces for their "excellent" work and says that all forces have now achieved the basic standard of making sure Neighbourhood Policing is a core part of their work.
But the inspection concluded that progress in Neighbourhood Policing varies considerably between forces and that more work needs to be done to fully embed the programme.
Key findings of the report include:
- a 2.1 percentage point increase of people who think their local police do a good or excellent job;
- strong corporate governance, led by a chief officer with Police Authority engagement, ensuring consistency across force areas and between Basic Command Units, but taking account of local needs and national governance;
- engagement with communities through meetings and using other engagement opportunities so local people help shape their local policing priorities;
- the forces with the most embedded Neighbourhood Policing apply the same weight to measures of confidence and satisfaction as to their performance in crime reduction and detection; and
- progress varies considerably between forces, possibly due to the extent they engage with their local community and joint problem solving.
Sir Ronnie Flanagan, HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary, said:
"This report clearly shows just how much has been achieved by the Police Service, together with its partners, since the start of the Neighbourhood Policing programme.
"There are now over 3,600 neighbourhood teams working to improve public satisfaction and confidence while working with local people. They also work with other agencies to solve local problems and secure lasting changes.
"It is encouraging to note that there is an increase in the number of people who think their local police do a good or excellent job.
"However, there is no room for complacency. A good start has been made but there needs to be a continued effort to capitalise on the investment made so far."
The report also looked at the development of Citizen Focus Policing - a newer approach designed to take the needs of the citizen into account when designing and delivering policing services.
It said that Citizen Focus Policing had led to improvements in satisfaction with the overall policing service but that there was potential for higher satisfaction levels.
NOTE TO EDITORS
1. The report can be found at http://inspectorates.homeoffice.gov.uk/hmic/.
020 7035 3852
