Our results do the talking

Key Achievements

Performance forces crimes figures dow

There were almost 5,000 fewer recorded crimes in Bedfordshire between April and December 2007 compared with the same period in 2006, indicating that the force’s attempts to cut crime, detect more offences and improve investigation techniques are starting to pay off. In particular, incidences of violent crime decreased by more than 1200.

Assistant Chief Constable Katherine Govier, responsible for leading the fight to drive down crime in Bedfordshire, is delighted, although not complacent, with the changes being seen in the force’s performance.

She said: "After a very challenging 2006, the force realised dramatic changes were required if we were to see a reduction in these figures, as well as detecting more crime. Since April last year, a tremendous amount of work has been done, and hopefully we are all starting to see the benefits."

The ‘Crime Investigation Service Improvement Plan’ embodies a whole raft of initiatives, including:

• increased staff training, particularly around the investigation of crime
• closer management of suspects
• police operations aimed at specific crime areas such as house burglaries
• more detailed caseload management by supervisors, as well as working closer still with partners in the criminal justice system.

The creation of the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, which investigates serious crimes, has also significantly assisted the force by reducing the time spent by local officers on this sort of crime.

ACC Govier added: "These are just some of the measures being put in place to help turn performance around in Bedfordshire. We are delighted that so far this has produced nearly 5,000 fewer victims of crime, but we also know that we must sustain this reduction. Our plan may have seen a dramatic turnaround in our crime figures in the last three months of 2007, but we are not complacent: there is still a lot to do. The percentage of recorded crimes we detected between April and December last year was 21.1% compared with 20% the year before, which we appreciate needs to be worked on, but at least we are starting to see the numbers going in the right direction.

"I think what is more important, however, is that those people who are unfortunate enough to be victims of crime feel that they are getting the best possible service from Bedfordshire Police. Our work is not just about performance figures but dealing with peoples’ lives, and we hope that our action plan also addresses the human side of policing as we go about our day-to-day work."

The reduction in the number of violent offences committed is also due to the unstinting work of joint initiatives such as Bed:Safe and Luton:Safe which have seen dramatic improvements in town centre violence and the night-time economy. "These will continue to operate and support the overall action by Bedfordshire Police and our partner agencies to reduce crime", added ACC Govier.

Hospital crime falling

The number of crimes reported to the police from the Luton and Dunstable Hospital has fallen over the last year by 22%.

During 2006 police were called to deal with 151 crimes at the hospital and this figure has been reduced to 117 during 2007 – a reduction of 34.

Overall reported incidents at the hospital have also seen a drop of 6% over the year, but Inspector Rob McCaffray who leads the Safer Neighbourhood Team for the area is not being complacent and vows to keep up the pressure on those who become involved in antisocial behaviour or criminal activities in and around the hospital.

Inspector McCaffray said: “I believe this reduction is the result of partnership working within the hospital area. We have supported the hospital security team and meet regularly with hospital staff to hear their concerns and give safety advice.”

He continued: “Although these may not be huge figures, incidents reported by the hospital can range from civil disputes to criminal offences such as assaults. The public who use the hospital facilities and the people who work within the hospital environment need to know that they and their personal property remain safe, and we shall continue to work closely with our partner agencies to ensure this reduction continues.”

Speaking on behalf of the Luton and Dunstable hospital, Chris King, L&D’s security management specialist, said: “Keeping staff, patients and visitors safe is a priority at the L&D, which is why we have increased investment in our 24/7 security team, and provided an additional 8 CCTV cameras around the hospital site. I am delighted that we are now seeing positive results from our co-ordinated approach to tackling violence against staff and from close working relationships with the police. However, we are not complacent and will continue to drive forward the message that violence and crime will not be tolerated anywhere on hospital premises.”

Specials foil cannabis crooks

BEDFORDSHIRE Police Special Constables closed down six cannabis factories in as many months and disrupted production that could have netted offenders more than £1.6m a year.

According to figures just compiled, the plants were worth in the region of £210,000 and the hydroponics equipment seized from each factory was worth around £12,000 to £15,000.

The warrants were executed between May and December by the Specials Tasking Team, a dedicated unit that operates on a force-wide basis and is led by Special Inspector Derek Grey.

The work illustrates how the Special Constabulary, which is entirely made up of volunteer officers who receive training from the force, plays a key role in the fight against crime.

It also highlights how the specials can free regular troops from important but time-consuming tasks, since once a cannabis factory is raided there is much work to be done bagging and tagging plants for evidence and disposing of equipment.

Special Inspector Grey, who has been with the force more than 20 years, said: “I am very proud of my team and the results we have achieved. Most Specials have their own full-time jobs, yet give up their free time to help make Bedfordshire a safer place.

“We are always on the lookout for more Specials to join the constabulary and would urge anyone interested to get in touch. I can assure them the work is rarely dull – and always very rewarding.”

Specials come from all walks of life and range from teachers to IT consultants to carpenters to farmers. In addition to the law, they learn skills such as leadership, conflict management and team building, much of which can be of use in their own jobs.

Beds Call Handling Centre 3rd Best in the Country

Bedfordshire Police has the third best performing Call Handling Centre in England.

Latest figures from the National Policing Improvements Agency show Bedfordshire Police as the third best performing force.

In 2007 - 2008, Bedfordshire Police received 99,700 emergency 999 calls of which 95.3% were answered within the 10-second target set by the Government, although in real terms the majority of calls were answered in four seconds.

Meanwhile, exactly 242,540 non-emergency calls were received of which 93.9% were answered within 30 second set target although in reality most were answered in 11 seconds.

Adam Gould is responsible for making sure the nerve centre of Bedfordshire Police, based at Force headquarters in Kempston runs efficiently. He said:

"This is the fourth year running that we have hit all of our targets and been in the top four in the country and the issues that effected the Call Handling Centre when it first opened in 2000 are now a thing of the past. In fact, research shows the number of customers calling us and being dealt with effectively the first time have soared to around 93% satisfaction.

"As a team we've made massive improvements to the response to the public through continued training of staff, customer feedback, a focus on quality and by making sure the room is properly staffed. We now hope that we are getting close to providing the kind of service the public expects and deserves."

He added; "This is certainly a performance that is the envy of many organisations. We are not complacent though and will continue to drive up our performance and hope to be able to answer the calls even quicker in the future. It is important to us that people feel they are receiving the best possible service from us, as the Call Handling Centre is often their first contact with the police."

Adam has been nominated and is a finalist for a National Emergency Contact Centre award. The Call Centre Management Association is responsible for the awards and endorse best practice, reward innovation and promote excellence within the contact and call centre industry.