Information

Introduction

This is my third police and crime plan and I write with a renewed focus on the core objective of making Northamptonshire a safer place. For the first time, this is a plan for police and fire, reflecting my responsibility to set the strategic direction for both services in Northamptonshire. It is not an exhaustive list of all the activity that will happen, but it is intended to set the key priorities for both organisations.

We have already begun a journey of bringing together enabling services so both organisations can benefit from consistent, high-quality support for officers, firefighters and staff on the front line.

In this plan I set out some joint objectives for the Chief Constable and Chief Fire Officer and some working with partners, because it is clearer to me than ever before that the problems that affect Northamptonshire will never be solved by any one organisation. I want Northamptonshire Police and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service to collaborate wherever it makes sense to do so, out in our communities, to make this county as safe as it can be.

I am confident that police and fire services in Northamptonshire have improved significantly over recent years: now I want to raise the bar and challenge Northamptonshire Police and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service to aim for the best.

I am proud that I have been able to invest in policing, with more officers patrolling our neighbourhoods. We are on course to have more police officers than ever before, and by 2023, there will be more than 1,500 police officers in Northamptonshire. And I am proud that I have been able to bring stability and investment to improve the service that our firefighters provide.

I am grateful to everyone in both organisations for the work they do, I value the commitment they make. But I set them the same challenge that I set myself – to build, with dedication, on the work we have done so far and be more visible in our communities, to build trust and confidence and make Northamptonshire safer.

Stephen Mold

My vision – Working with communities to make Northamptonshire safer

My values – It is more important than ever that our emergency services are seen to embody the highest ethical standards as we work to make a difference for our communities.

I expect Northamptonshire Police and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service to be:

Trustworthy – Doing the right thing with honesty and integrity

Respectful – Treating the public and colleagues with care and dignity

Innovative – Aiming for continuous improvement and learning

Efficient – Working in a well[1]organised and competent way

Effective – Successfully achieving the best outcomes for our community

Transparent – Being open and honest in everything we do

My priorities

• Prevention that keeps the county safe
• Effective and efficient response
• Protect and support those who are vulnerable
• Effective justice
• Modern services that are ft for the future

 

Prevention that keeps the county safe

We cannot enforce our way to a safer county. Though we have more police officers and firefighters than ever before, demand will continue to grow. We must work to intervene early to prevent crime and victimisation, to make our roads and homes safe.

Our police and fire services will play their part to the full, alongside partners, in the community safety arrangements that exist to make this county a safer place.

I have invested in tools to help police prevent and disrupt crime: doubling the size of the ANPR network around the county, extending it into our more rural areas and I have used additional government funding to provide additional CCTV in parts of Northampton, Kettering, and Wellingborough where crime was highest.

Considerable enforcement work has already been undertaken to tackle county lines drug dealing, and this must continue. We must also work hard with all partner agencies to prioritise early intervention work to tackle the root causes of knife crime, gang related violence and drug dealing.

This focus on prevention will continue across all areas, including work to tackle issues such as fraud and cyber related crime. At the other end of the spectrum, we will continue our work to make homes and communities less vulnerable to burglary and anti-social behaviour and the risk of fire.

Northamptonshire is a major logistics hub and sits at the centre of England’s strategic road network, so work to prevent collisions and to encourage responsible road use is vital. We will also continue to target criminals as they use the county’s roads. I will continue to urge closer collaboration and more innovative solutions to prevent crime and collisions across all our partners.

During the life of this plan:

For Police I will:

• Develop strategies to reduce repeat victimisation
• Develop fraud prevention programmes, including reducing the risk of cyber related crime
• Deliver and maintain the ANPR network in Northamptonshire to ensure it supports the prevention, disruption and detection of crime

Working Together I will:

• Give people the opportunity to participate in schemes that make the county safer such as Neighbourhood Watch, Street Watch and Speed Watch
• Ensure that people have access to information and support to help them prevent crime and keep themselves safe
• Invest in target hardening schemes in areas of the highest risk to reduce crime
• Commit to and invest in initiatives and programmes to make Northamptonshire’s roads safer
• Increase collaboration that provides holistic prevention activity that makes communities safer
• Develop the way that we share critical data between both organisations and with other partners

For Fire and Rescue I will:

• Diversify prevention activity into a wider range of topics
• Further increase the involvement of our operational staff in prevention activities to target risk in our communities
• Increase organisational capacity in Protection, ensuring our warranted Protection Officers can focus on the most complex areas

Effective and efficient response

Providing an effective and efficient response to incidents and calls for service is fundamental to Northamptonshire Police and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service.

They are there when the public needs them and should deliver the professional, caring response that is so highly valued in times of emergency. We have more police officers than ever and by 2023, Northamptonshire Police will have more than 1,500 officers, the highest number ever. We have invested in additional firefighters, with the largest recruitment for at least 10 years, and in modern fire appliances.

Additional resources have enabled us to give new focus to neighbourhood policing with a visible, accessible local policing presence that they know and trust. I want to see local problems solved at a local level by partners working together and I am committed to making sure that local policing is effective and increases public confidence.

I also want to ensure that our Police Force and Fire Service better represent the communities they serve.

Our success with burglary shows how an effective response can turn a problem around: a new approach with a dedicated team enormously increased the number of arrests for burglary and cut the number of crimes by 30%. I want to see that rigorous approach applied to street level drug dealing, and anti-social behaviour and I believe that strengthened neighbourhood policing will increase the flow of local intelligence and enable police to tackle these crimes better.

I also believe that it will help us fight serious violence. I will be asking the Chief Constable and partners to come together to find ways to tackle violent crime, with a special focus on violence against women and girls who may feel less safe and confident.

Police and fire already collaborate to deal with road traffic collisions and searching for missing people. I want to see the fire service maintain improved levels of response and look at how they can be even more effective and deliver a better service to local people.

During the life of this plan:

For Police I will:

• Continue recruitment to ensure we reach 1,500 police offcers by 2023, the highest number of officers ever in Northamptonshire
• Strengthen local policing and focus on solving local problems at a local level Focus on crimes such as burglary, vehicle crime and anti-social behaviour
• Increase the amount of time that Police officers and PCSOs in neighbourhood teams spend in their local community
• Target violent crime, with a strategy to look at violence against women and girls and understand and act against violence in our communities

 Working Together I will:

• Understand the concerns in rural areas, providing a visible presence and reassurance in rural communities
• Ensure that communities have access to the information about the activities that police officers and fire crews are undertaking in their area, and that they are able to contact a named local officer
• Invest in a community road safety fund to support communities in addressing local road safety concerns

For Fire and Rescue I will:

• Undertake a full review of emergency cover arrangements
• Ensure we fully understand the risk profile of the county, which will enable us to better shape the organisation and the way in which we respond
• Work in collaboration to use our specialist skills and equipment to enhance wider community safety

Protect and support those who are vulnerable

Many factors can cause someone to be vulnerable – mental health, abuse, addiction – and vulnerability can make someone more likely to become a perpetrator or a victim of crime.

Exploitation is a feature of most serious criminality and I will ensure that there is a focus on tackling human trafficking and county lines drug dealing. No area of Northamptonshire is untouched by the effects of drugs and exploitation, and we all feel less safe as a result.

I want to do more for young people in Northamptonshire. Involvement in drugs and gangs has tragic consequences, but the line between being a victim or a perpetrator of crime is sometimes blurred.

I expect to see tireless enforcement activity to target organised and serious crime and exploitation. Enforcement is only one of the tools we need to tackle these problems. I have already made significant investments in work with young people, and with families where children are at risk of exclusion from school or where abuse or addiction are causing harm. I will be challenging partners across the public sector in Northamptonshire to ensure that our work is truly joined up and that we try as hard as we can to protect young people.

In tackling drugs, we must also look at the people who use them so I want to see campaigns that highlight the consequences of drug use.

Vulnerability can affect a person’s safety in other ways too. Our fire service will work to develop its broader role in community safety, as it did during the pandemic. We must work hard to tackle all crimes and incidents motivated by hate and prejudice and we must ensure that people have the confidence to come forward and report crimes.

Domestic abuse is a key area of focus. Abuse accounts for a huge proportion of the serious incidents police deal with every day and the damage to the men, women and children who are the victims of or who witness domestic abuse is incalculable. I will ask partners to work together to reduce the harm caused by domestic abuse, and support victims.

 

During the life of this plan:

For Police I will:

• Deliver robust enforcement and awareness campaigns to reduce the number of knives on our streets
• Reduce harm from domestic abuse, pursuing perpetrators, supporting victims, and using rehabilitation and prevention programmes to improve positive outcomes for victims

Working Together I will:

• Work with all partners to ensure that our approach to and delivery of early intervention services are joined up and effective
• Continue to invest in support for families to reduce exclusions from school, involvement in crime and to mitigate the impact of domestic incidents
• Continue to invest in provision for young people, to prevent them from becoming involved in, or victims of, crime with a specific focus on the impact of knife related crime
• Carry out awareness campaigns so that people can recognise and report the signs of exploitation
• Work with partners to tackle some of the entrenched issues in our communities and improve use of collective resources to support the most vulnerable

For Fire and Rescue I will:

• Further develop the fire service role and expertise in safeguarding
• Broaden our protection activity into areas such as HMOs in order to target the highest risk premises
• Work with housing providers, developers, and business to minimise risk and keep people safe

Effective justice

Victims are at the heart of the criminal justice process. I will work with Northamptonshire Police and with other partners in the wider criminal justice system to deliver effective justice in a system that is open, swift, provides good outcomes and deals appropriately with offenders.

Most people in Northamptonshire will never come into contact with the police or justice system. People who do become victims of or witnesses to crime must receive the support and service that they have a right to expect.

I will continue to develop Voice, the service for Victims and Witnesses, and invest in other services for victims, so that they receive high quality support at every stage.

Investigations must be timely and of high quality, so that the appropriate outcome can be achieved at the earliest opportunity in every case. I expect victims to be kept informed and updated at every stage and at the end of the process, to be satisfied with the way that they have been treated.

As Chair of the Local Criminal Justice Board, I will work to influence the way the agencies of the wider criminal justice system work together and to support measures that seek to reduce court backlogs and waiting times to improve the experience and outcomes for everyone involved.

Working with partners, I will make sure there are pathways to divert people away from the justice system where they could be better dealt with in other ways, including more use of out-of-court disposals and restorative justice. We will tackle repeat and prolific offenders, and provide rehabilitation schemes to prevent further crime. I want all people in every community to be able to live their lives safely and free of fear.

During the life of this plan:

For Police I will:

• Increasing positive outcome rates for victims of crime
• Monitoring the quality of investigations and work to further improve standards

Working Together I will:

• Working with partners to ensure justice is as swift as possible
• Provide effective support for victims and witnesses that meets their needs
• Develop a range of evidence-based initiatives to intervene early to prevent offending, and to deter reoffending
• Invest in activities to reduce the risks posed by serial or repeat offenders

For Fire and Rescue I will:

• Ensure that enforcement activity in relation to fire safety legislation prioritises public safety

 

Modern services that are fit for the future

Northamptonshire Police and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service have more officers and more firefighters than ever before, but this is one of the fastest-growing counties in the country and the demand on our services will continue to grow.

I will ask for continued improvements in services, so that people can be confident that their police and fire services will be there when they need them.

I have brought together some of the business functions such as HR, IT and Finance to keep our frontline running and make it strong and resilient. The two services also share buildings wherever possible and work together wherever it makes sense to do so.

I want to embed and develop this enabling services approach, so that both organisations move forward together and share innovation and learning. This will also help release officer capacity, within Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service particularly, that can be focussed on work to keep the community safe. I want both services to have well trained staff, able to meet the challenges of serving the public now and into the future.

And the future will be challenging: demand grows and crime types change, asking our police to tackle new issues in new ways; and our firefighters to do so much more than fight fires.

Both organisations will do their best to ensure that they welcome people from diverse backgrounds and that they reflect the communities they serve.

I will look at how we tackle the new carbon targets, and the other ways that the changing climate affect the incidents our fire service deals with. I will work to ensure that these two emergency services are efficient and effective and provide the public with the best value.

During the life of this plan:

For Police I will:

• Develop a culture of learning that delivers continuous improvement in services

 

Working Together I will:

• Ensure that the values of this plan are demonstrated through everything we do
• Embed and further develop the enabling services approach so that both organisations have strong professional support to take forward transformation
• Make sure that both organisations have access to technology giving them the best data to inform service delivery
• Strive to ensure that both organisations recognise, reflect, and respect the communities they serve
• Ensure greater, and more effective, collaboration between both services to maximise effectiveness and effciency
• Prepare our feet, estate and processes to allow us to meet the Government’s carbon targets

For Fire and Rescue I will:

• Respond positively to the new risks arising from climate change, including fooding and wildfre,
• through training and in our equipment
• Continue to build a stable and sustainable budget position to provide the foundation for transformational change

Resources

Northamptonshire Police funding

The 2021/22 budget for Policing totalled £153.5m. Of this amount, almost 44% comes from local taxpayers with the balance of 56% from central government in the form of Police and pension grants. Almost 94% of this funding is allocated to the Chief Constable with 0.7% used towards the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and the balance used to support commissioning, targeted delivery services and the revenue costs of capital expenditure as follows:

• Police Officers, Staff and PCSOs 68%
• Collaborative Policing and third-party cost 5.8%
• Other costs and investments 5.6%
• Support (Enabling Services) 14.5%
• Capital Financing 2.5%
• Office of the PFCC 0.7%
• Delivery and Commissioning 2.9%

Over the past four years, policing reserves have stabilised and the medium-term plans are predicated on building police officer numbers to a level of over 1500 by March 2023 and maintaining them for as long as possible. This will be the highest level of Police Officers ever in Northamptonshire.

However, this is in the context of a tight financial future and Northamptonshire is a fast-growing county with many complex challenges. It is my view that Northamptonshire Police is not served well by the current funding formula compared to other forces and I will continue to take every opportunity to seek a fairer funding formula on behalf of the residents of Northamptonshire.

 

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service funding

The 2021/22 budget for Fire was £25.3m, a lower level than the previous year. Of this amount 62% comes from local taxpayers, 11% from local Business Rates and only 27% from central government grants. Almost 74% of the budget is spent on firefighters and fire staff with the balance spent on giving the essential infrastructure to undertake their roles as follows:

• Firefighters and Staff 73.7%
• Estates and Facilities 5.8%
• Transport 1.9%
• ICT 3.6%
• Supplies and Services 14.1%
• Capital Financing 0.9%

 

Since being established in January 2019, Northamptonshire Fire has received the second lowest level of council tax in the country every year and when reserves and the annual budget are combined, they have the lowest level of resources nationally.

Despite this challenging context, I have managed to establish a sufficient, but not excessive, stable level of reserves in Fire and have secured many one-off grants to help replace essential operational equipment. This has been achieved in a very tight financial climate and the funding challenge for Fire remains. The Chief Fire Officer has worked hard to develop a savings plan to tackle some of these challenges but these do not meet the full budget gaps and there will be significant financial shortfalls in future years. I will continue to work closely with the Home Office to seek funding including requests for a permanent increase to the Fire budget and additional capital funding.

Contact the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner:

Call: 01604 888113 Email: commissioner@northantspfcc.gov.uk

Write: Darby House, Darby Close, Park Farm Industrial Estate, Wellingborough, NN8 6GS

www.northantspfcc.org.uk

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