Welcome from the Chief Constable
I have now been Chief Constable of Hampshire Constabulary for a year. During this period crime in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight has dropped by 7 per cent. The force’s anti-burglary campaign, Operation Nemesis, resulted in 635 fewer victims during the five months it ran for, and our summer anti-social behaviour campaign saw a decrease of 17 per cent in the total number of incidents compared with the previous year.
All of this has been achieved in a period of prolonged economic recession, where we are constantly being challenged to provide an excellent service in a more efficient way. I’m pleased to say that frontline policing has not been adversely affected, and the reductions in posts we have had to make have in the main been through a programme of managed change rather than through redundancies.
In December 2008 the force signed up to the Policing Pledge, a set of 10 promises we made to you, the public, about what you can expect from us in terms of fairness, access, local policing, response to calls, support and information for victims, and dealing with dissatisfaction. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary recently published its findings on how all forces are delivering the pledge, grading Hampshire Constabulary fair overall. I see this as a good starting point.
Equipping our officers with modern technology is something I’m very keen to deliver. In April this year 100 officers across the force began trialling a new system that allows them to view photos on their radios. The benefits of this include making it easier to locate vulnerable and high-risk missing people. More recently we’ve been trialling in-car mobile data terminals and BlackBerry Bold devices that enable officers on the streets and in police vehicles to access exactly the same systems that are back at the station.
Work is well underway on the new Southampton police headquarters, and the move of Hampshire Constabulary’s headquarters from the current site in Winchester to Alpha Park, Chandler’s Ford, remains on track. We have dedicated teams who are working hard to ensure that both moves go smoothly.
I’m proud to announce that the constabulary has been recognised as one of the UK’s best performing organisations for disability equality. The force received a Gold Standard in the Disability Standard 2009 from the Employers’ Forum on Disability. Treating everyone fairly and equally is at the heart of everything we do and disability is now a force priority in terms of diversity. As a police service, it means we’re committed to meeting the individual needs of people with disabilities however they come into contact with us. As an employer, I aim to ensure there are absolutely no barriers for people with a disability who work for us or wish to do so.
Since April, 101 has been the non-emergency number for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. 101 can now be used for all police-related, non-emergency issues and enquiries, just like 0845 045 45 45, and not only for anti-social behaviour issues. The 101 number is also much easier to remember.
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