Strengthening your Constabulary
As your Police and Crime Commissioner, I will do all that I can to ensure the right level of funding is available for the Chief Constable to deliver the ambitions of this plan and to meet the needs of future policing challenges.
This means lobbying Government, applying for additional funds via grants and, of course, identifying efficiencies within existing budgets that can be diverted to support frontline policing activity.
This also means tapping into the wealth of support the community has for our Constabulary and harnessing this through volunteer and support opportunities within Gloucestershire’s policing family.
Increase Constabulary staff numbers
My mission, during my time in office, is to improve accessibility, visibility, investigative standards and engagement of the Constabulary by enhancing the deployable strength of the Force. My manifesto spoke about recruiting additional police and volunteers and I remain 100% committed to achieving this.
Through the Government’s Beating Crime Plan, Gloucestershire will receive an additional 150 Police Constables as part of the national commitment to recruit an additional 20,000 officers across the UK. I am going to go further than this and set an ambitious target of at least 300 extra personnel into our Constabulary. I am pleased to say that I have already begun this work which includes the recruitment of more than 50 additional police staff focused on delivering improved services.
Increase community volunteers
On top of this, I want to reach out to our communities with the support of parish and town councils to encourage at least 200 local people to support the Constabulary through volunteering opportunities such as becoming a local member of the Special Constabulary or a volunteer Police Community Support
Officer (PCSO).
Improved ease of access
Of course, the public also need to have confidence that when they contact police there will be someone there to answer their call, or deal with their web enquiry. During my campaign, dissatisfaction about our 101 service was raised with me over and over again.
The service that Gloucestershire provides at the moment is simply not good enough. We are letting down the public and our hardworking staff by not investing in 101 or in maintaining contact with victims following a report of crime. I want to be sure that we are not missing vital information from victims and witnesses who may be frustrated by an inability to make and maintain contact with our Constabulary. These are, in fact, some of the fundamental principles of the Victims’ Code (more details in priority five) for which I have responsibility for holding the Chief Constable to account.
Over the period of this plan I am therefore committed to improving the policies, technology and practices relating to police contact in all its many forms so that the public can rely on our capacity, capability and the service that the Constabulary provides them.
How we will deliver
As determined by HMICFRS (His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabularies, Fire and Rescue Services).
For the Constabulary and partners which are consistent with our strategic priorities, or help in the reduction of crime and antisocial behaviour and to support innovation in policing and community safety.
Through wellbeing and workforce modernisation.
Within the Constabulary and increasing the number of
volunteer hours delivered.
To identify opportunities for future collaboration.
Listening to our communities to focus attention on the crimes which have the greatest impact on them.
Monitoring levels of crime and anti-social behaviour and ensuring that the police and partners are tackling them.
Evaluating policies, practices and performance to ensure that we are constantly improving the way we work to provide local services that the public have confidence in.
Protecting frontline policing, enhancing community safety through volunteers and providing resources for the police to deter, detect and deal with criminals.
Ensuring our contracts are robust while delivering value for money and always with an eye to the future.
Ensuring collaborative opportunities are always explored with local, regional and national partners.