09/11/2004

Reforms for customer-focused neighbourhood policing unveiled

New police reform proposals designed to increase neighbourhood policing, ensure that the police service has a stronger customer focus, and increase the visibility, accessibility and accountability of officers have been published today.

The policy paper, 'Building Communities, Beating Crime', sets out plans for a new neighbourhood policing fund to support the development of dedicated neighbourhood policing teams across the country.

It is envisaged that community-focused teams of police officers, backed up by police community support officers (PCSOs) and police support staff, will use community-based intelligence to tackle local crime.

Officers will be embedded in their local community, tackling the issues of concern to local people and being held to account by those local people, with the community getting new powers to 'trigger' action where their police force, local authority or other community safety partners are not delivering, the Home Office said.

The paper also introduces 10 key commitments to ensure high standards of customer service, and sets out a number of measures to sharpen the customer focus of the police service - including a new national three-digit non-emergency telephone number to be in place by the end of 2006, national minimum standards for call handling and more information for victims and the wider community.

Home Secretary David Blunkett said reform was essential if the police service hopes to continue to cut crime and protect law-abiding citizens and communities.

"Key to this vision is bringing in dedicated neighbourhood policing teams across the country. They will be supported by continued substantial investment that will maintain record officer numbers and also provide 25,000 community support officers and wardens," he added.

"We will also improve the way the police deal with the public by embedding a genuinely responsive customer service culture and making the police more accessible, visible and accountable. A new improvement agency will ensure that policing is driven by intelligence and good performance information."

(gmcg)

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