fewerarrests
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Reporting local life since 1854 37p Tuesday, October 18, 2011 SEN-eO1-S2 [P] [P] COPS TOLD TO MAKE FEWER ARRESTS Officers will deal with more incidents by telephone after £480,000 review Why I walked out on rugby star Gavin ‘He kept falling for the wrong girls,’ says Georgi, as she leaves reality TV show Picture: Steve Bould DRIVER DIES IN SMASH SEE PAGE 5 PAGE SIX BY ALEX CAMPBELL [email protected] POLICE in Staffordshire have been told to make fewer arrests, deal with more reported crimes over the tele- phone and not respond to as many incidents. The new policy means incidents including low-level anti-social beha- viour and neighbour disputes will be dealt with by councils rather than police. And more offenders will be given penalty notices rather than being formally arrested. Senior officers have come up with the plan after paying consultants KPMG £480,000 to carry out an 18-week review of the force. The firm was recruited to help the force cope with the loss of 300 officers and civilian staff since April 2010 and the need to save £38 million by 2015. The changes mean: ■ Officers must look at all avail- able alternatives to making arrests to reduce the amount of police time spent on suspects and slash the bill for keeping detainees in custody. Each arrest can take up to eight hours and officers are being encour- aged to consider com- munity resolutions, street bail, penalty notices and inviting vol- untary attendance for interview instead; ■ Police will attend fewer incidents, leaving call centre staff to use greater “pro- fessional discretion” on which reports are most important and need a response within the 60-minute target. They will consider the threat level of the incident, the vulnerability of the caller and ‘investigation opportunities’. Low priority callers will get appointments for a later date; ■ A 21-strong custody invest- igation team will charge or caution more suspects shortly after arrest to cut the number of people granted police bail; ■ A team of 12 constables has been created to conduct preliminary investigations on the phone, freeing up police to attend ‘live’ incidents. Chief Constable Mike Cunningham told Staffordshire Police Authority yesterday: “This is about service improvement at a time of reduced resources. If we lose the satisfaction of the people who contact us for help then we will have failed. “We need to make sure we can still live up to demands with significantly fewer people. “Both call handlers and response officers felt that many incidents were being attended inappropriately, for example matters which could be resolved over the phone, or by local authorities.” But authority member Frank Chap- man, county councillor for rural New- castle, told the meeting: “I don’t wish to devalue this, but there are deprived and challenging areas in the force area and a lot of vulnerable people. “We need to make sure we respond to incidents that sometimes might seem quite minor.” Fellow member Adrian Bowen said: “As we move to phone response, which I accept is soundly-based, you need to make sure you keep the public con- fidence.” The new policy started in Stoke-on- Trent, Newcastle and the Moorlands on September 26. It comes as overall crime in Staffordshire has fallen by almost 10 per cent to 33,730 crimes between April and September. Alan Joinson, chairman of East Bentilee Residents’ Association, said: “The police ought to be more visual to nip incidents in the bud.” Do you support the new policy? Email us at [email protected] ‘REDUCED RESOURCES’: Chief Constable Mike Cunningham. ©NM Sponsors of Miss Staffordshire Miss England 2011 Stafford Street, Hanley Opposite Wilkinson’s Tel. 01782 286006 www.hair-and-co.com Vidal Sassoon Trained Stylists kumon.co.uk *Enrol your child between 1 September & 31 October 2011 for a two-week Free Trial and begin your Kumon journey. Begin your Kumon journey Maximise your child’s development with Kumon’s tailored maths and English study programmes. Newcastle-under-Lyme Clare Bainbridge 01782 519788 Stoke-on-Trent Bret Shah 01782 744387 Fees vary. Please refer to your local study centre. *Terms & conditions apply. Contact your local Instructor today
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Maximiseyourchild’s developmentwithKumon’s tailoredmathsandEnglish studyprogrammes. Stoke-on-Trent Reporting local life since 1854 Tel.01782286006 BY ALEX CAMPBELL ContactyourlocalInstructortoday *Enrolyour childbetween 1September& 31October2011for atwo-weekFree Trialandbeginyour Kumonjourney. kumon.co.uk ‘REDUCED RESOURCES’: Chief Constable Mike Cunningham. Do you support the new policy? Picture: Steve Bould Email us at [email protected] [email protected] [P]
Transcript of fewerarrests
Reporting local life since 1854 37pTuesday, October 18, 2011
SEN
-eO1
-S2
[P]
[P]
COPS TOLD TO MAKEFEWER ARRESTS
Officers will deal with more incidents by telephone after £480,000 review
Why Iwalkedout onrugbystarGavin‘He keptfalling forthe wronggirls,’ saysGeorgi, asshe leavesrealityTV show
Picture:SteveBould
DRIVERDIES INS M AS H
SEE PAGE 5 PAGE SIX
BY ALEX [email protected]
POLICE in Staffordshire have beentold to make fewer arrests, deal withmore reported crimes over the tele-phone and not respond to as manyi n c i d e n t s.
The new policy means incidentsincluding low-level anti-social beha-viour and neighbour disputeswill be dealt with by councilsrather than police.
And more offenders will begiven penalty notices ratherthan being formally arrested.
Senior officers have comeup with the plan after payingconsultants KPMG £480,000 tocarry out an 18-week reviewof the force.
The firm was recruited to help theforce cope with the loss of 300 officersand civilian staff since April 2010 andthe need to save £38 million by 2015.
The changes mean:■ Officers must look at all avail-able alternatives to making arrests
to reduce the amount of policetime spent on suspects and slash
the bill for keeping detainees incustody. Each arrest can take
up to eight hours andofficers are being encour-aged to consider com-
munity resolutions,street bail, penaltynotices and inviting vol-untary attendance forinterview instead;■ Police will attendfewer incidents, leaving
call centre staff to use greater “p ro -fessional discretion” on whichreports are most important and need aresponse within the 60-minute target.They will consider the threat levelof the incident, the vulnerabilityof the caller and ‘investig ationoppor tunities’. Low prioritycallers will get appointmentsfor a later date;■ A 21-strong custody invest-igation team will charge orcaution more suspects shortlyafter arrest to cut the numberof people granted police bail;■ A team of 12 constables has beencreated to conduct preliminaryinvestigations on the phone, f re e i n gup police to attend ‘l ive ’ i n c i d e n t s.
Chief Constable Mike Cunninghamtold Staffordshire Police Authority
yesterday: “This is about serviceimprovement at a time of reducedresources. If we lose the satisfaction ofthe people who contact us for help
then we will have failed.“We need to make sure we can
still live up to demands withsignificantly fewer people.
“Both call handlers andresponse officers felt thatmany incidents were being
attended inappropriately, forexample matters which couldbe resolved over the phone, or
by local authorities.”But authority member Frank Chap-
man, county councillor for rural New-castle, told the meeting: “I don’t wishto devalue this, but there are deprivedand challenging areas in the forcearea and a lot of vulnerable people.
“We need to make sure we respondto incidents that sometimes mightseem quite minor.”
Fellow member Adrian Bowen said:“As we move to phone response, whichI accept is soundly-based, you need tomake sure you keep the public con-f i d e n c e. ”
The new policy started in Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle and the M o o rl a n d son September 26. It comes as overallcrime in Staffordshire has fallen byalmost 10 per cent to 33,730 crimesbetween April and September.
Alan Joinson, chairman of EastBentilee Residents’ Association, said:“The police ought to be more visual tonip incidents in the bud.”
Do you support the new policy?Email us at [email protected]
‘REDUCEDRESOURCES’:ChiefConstableMikeCunningham.
©NM
Sponsors ofMiss StaffordshireMiss England 2011 Stafford Street, Hanley
Opposite Wilkinson’s
Tel. 01782 286006www.hair-and-co.com
Vidal Sassoon Trained Stylists
kumon.co.uk
*Enrol your
child between
1 September &
31 October 2011 for
a two-week Free
Trial and begin your
Kumon journey.
Begin yourKumon journeyMaximise your child’sdevelopment with Kumon’stailored maths and Englishstudy programmes.
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Clare Bainbridge 01782 519788Stoke-on-Trent
Bret Shah 01782 744387Fees vary. Please refer to your local study centre. *Terms & conditions apply.
Contact your local Instructor today
