Plans for police forces to relentlessly pursue criminals and improve police visibility and responsiveness have been welcomed by MP Bob Seely.
The plans, set out in a letter to all chief constables and police and crime commissioners from the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman and Policing Minister Chris Philp, detail a number of specific expectations of police forces including:
- Taking action when victims of theft provide officers with the location of a stolen mobile phone via tracking apps.
- Operating on the basis of a zero-tolerance approach to drug misuse with officers using their powers, such as stop and search.
- Using available CCTV in areas affected by anti-social behaviour to identify suspects.
- Following every reasonable line of enquiry in cases of shoplifting, including using CCTV to identify suspects, and using clear images of any unknown suspects of crime to search the Police National Database for matches using facial recognition when appropriate.
- Answering all emergency 999 calls in less than 10 seconds and all non-emergency contact, whether 101 or online, as quickly as possible.
Forces have also been encouraged to publish 101 answering time data by March 2024.
The changes will be supported by the recruitment of an additional 20,000 police officers in England and Wales and additional funding - which includes an additional £1m for each force (outside of the City of London) to fund anti-social behaviour hotspot patrolling plus £1m per force to fund Immediate Justice in relation to anti-social behaviour.
The Home Secretary’s letter said: “All too often, the public feel that information they provide to the Police about a crime is not acted on. This must stop as it undermines public confidence and misses opportunities to solve crimes and bring perpetrators to justice.”
The letter went on to say: “We understand that officers must make difficult operational prioritisation decisions. This will continue to play a crucial role in how the police keep the public safe. However, with the historic uplift in officer numbers and measures to reduce pressure on police time, you are empowered to thoroughly investigate more crimes. The Government and the public expect this.”
Bob Seely MP said: “I welcome this approach. We need to get back to old-school policing using modern technology to assist. It is right that those who commit crimes, however petty, are brought to justice.
“People need to feel safe, and they need to have confidence in the Island’s police force.
"On the Island, things are changing for the better.
“We’ve got 30 new additional police officers. Soon we’ll be getting local named bobbies back on the streets as well so communities will be able to work together with their local policing teams to tackle crime in their areas.”
The Home Secretary has asked chief constables and police and crime commissioners to respond to her by the end of September with their plans to improve confidence in local policing and police visibility.
