HMIC Praises Performance in Cleveland
Thursday, 11 March, 2010
Cleveland Police has been recognised at a national level for its good performance in relation to reducing crime and public confidence.
The report comes from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and is based on a recent inspection of the Force.
Cleveland was one of only four Forces nationally to receive a ‘good’ score in the three key categories of local crime and policing, protection from serious harm, and confidence and satisfaction.
Roger Baker, Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary for Cleveland, said: “Cleveland is one of the top performing forces in the country in terms of public confidence in the police and in the way it handles calls from the public.
“Cleveland has a strong record in driving down crime and has effectively expanded its network of Community Policing Teams.
Recorded crime has fallen over the past three years and the force has been particularly successful in tackling burglary and robbery.”
Chief Constable of Cleveland Police Sean Price said: “Cleveland currently has its lowest levels of recorded crime and is consistently one of the top performing Forces in the country when it comes to public confidence. The HMIC report card shows us as being particularly strong in these areas.
“Putting People First means that Neighbourhood Policing is fully embedded in Cleveland, and we are working closely with our local communities to tackle issues that matter to them.
“But we are not complacent and we recognise that there are still areas for improvement, which have been highlighted in the HMIC report.
“We have been working closely with our partners on a number of initiatives to reduce criminal damage, improve our service to victims of crime and we also have taken action to improve the way we handle dissatisfaction.
“It is only by listening and understanding our communities, that we can better respond to their needs and improve our service even further.”
Added Cleveland Police Authority Chair, Councillor Dave McLuckie: “What these findings demonstrate is that the investment we have made in recent years—in both front-line policing and providing high quality facilities and equipment—is delivering the goods in bringing down crime and ensuring that the public are protected...and people recognise that fact.
“The challenge we now face is to build on the progress we have made during a period when we know finances are going to be very difficult. That is why we need to continue looking at ways in which we can do things better and smarter in order to ensure that we can put resources where they really matter and where the public want them...on the front line.
“The fact that we enjoy one of the highest confidence levels in the country speaks for itself, but we do take on board the need to ensure that we provide the best possible service to victims of crime and respond when the public raise concerns.
“That is why, for example, we have been examining in the development of a possible partnership with a private sector partner, ways in which we could improve call handling—including checking back with people to see if they have been satisfied with our service.
“As an Authority we also aim to play our part—which is why we have taken the step of appointing authority members for each policing district with the specific role of being active and visible champions for the public—including when people feel they have not received the service to which they are entitled.”
