Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews has reported on the sweeping progress he has made in his drive to make Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland safer.
The PCC attended a meeting of the Police and Crime Panel today (12 March 2024) where he outlined the key changes he has implemented since 2021 to fulfil the key priorities in his Police and Crime Plan.
The meeting heard how the PCC had strengthened resources in Rutland to meet his Visible Policing commitments, reinstating the Rutland front enquiry office and launching an additional front enquiry desk in Uppingham to provide a better service to the public.
The number of Special Constables has also increased across the force by more than 200 per cent during his term and now stands at 102 while the PCC has delivered on his aims to improve engagement between the police and young people, funding the interactive Mini Police pilot as part of the National Volunteer Police Cadets programme for Year 5 pupils to develop their social justice responsibilities.
To strengthen Neighbourhood Policing, the PCC has delivered on his promise to keep neighbourhood officers in their local areas for a minimum of years. New figures show 74 per cent of constables and over 60 per cent of sergeants have been within an NHP team for at least two years. He also supported the launch of the nationally recognised Team Academy and Digital Academy delivering face-to-face and digital learning 24/7 to equip the workforce with new skills to increase the force’s capabilities.
In delivering on his Urban Policing priorities, the PCC has maintained a strong focus on organised crime including county lines. The force received an ‘Outstanding’ grading – the highest possible - following an His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Service (HMICFRS) inspection into tackling serious and organised crime in March 2023.
He has also invested significant funding into technology and training to ensure night-time staff have the equipment and knowledge to act to save lives. This includes £20k to deliver first-aid training to staff working in the night-time economy in Leicester, metal detectors to remove dangerous weapons off the streets, additional CCTV, town centre radios and online bystander training to help bar and door staff intervene safely to prevent crime.
Delivering on his commitment to improve the response to Rural Crime, the Commissioner supported the development of a QR code making it easier for the rural community to report crime. In addition, a new app has been created to support all frontline officers with information on the powers and legislation available to tackle rural crime. Latest figures show rural crime is down -10.2% while reported rural crime is up by 23% which demonstrates increased confidence among the public to report rural offences.
The Commissioner also launched the Volunteers on Horseback scheme with Leicestershire Police which sees 20 volunteers working with the Rural Crime Team to support their work and has funded training to all call handlers and staff within the call bureau on rural, wildlife and heritage crime. He is also rolling out free home security in rural areas from Safer Streets funding secured in October and funded a new Neighbourhood Watch Development Manager to revitalise NHW across LLR.
Commenting on the success, Mr Matthews said: “I am proud of everything we have achieved over the past three years. These improvements are already having a far-reaching impact on the safety of our communities and preventing harm and exploitation.
“Local people expect the police to use every tool in the book to keep them safe and for criminals to be caught and punished if they can’t toe the line. I have provided officers with every possible resource that funding will allow to deliver the tough response the public expects because strong and robust enforcement increases their confidence and trust in policing.
“Equally, I’ve made clear my belief in second chances and have funded the expansion of rehabilitation programmes to give offenders an alternative to crime and violence to break the cycle of crime for future generations.
“The emotional and physical effects of crime can last many years and prevent people from enjoying their lives and freedom as they should. This is why I continue to invest in high-quality care and support that is available at any stage of a victim’s journey through the criminal justice system.
“By increasing trust and confidence among victims, future survivors will be more inclined to report their experiences to the police. This means a greater number of perpetrators will be held accountable for their actions.
“There is always more to do, but we have laid very firm foundations in which to build on our performance now and in the future and I am confident the legacy of these changes and more will serve our communities for many years to come.”
Other key achievements include:
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The PCC and Violence Reduction Network (VRN) have provided £200k worth of diversionary grants to prevent ASB and violence affecting young people. In addition, the PCC awarded more than £390k of grants in the last 12 months through his Community Safety Fund for prevention projects to support his focus on Community Policing.
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In curbing Serious Violence, the PCC has worked with the force and Violence Reduction Network (VRN) to deliver activity in schools and other youth settings to improve safety and reduce knife-carrying, using data, evidence and targeted work to change behaviour. He also supports ‘hotspot’ policing with partners through the Government’s GRIP funding programme, using data to target enforcement activity in 18 locations across the force area against those offenders who post the highest risk
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In Protecting Victims of Crime, the PCC refreshed Victim First, awarding a £2.5m contract to Catch 22 to provide enhanced support to victims of crime across the force area. Launching in April 2024, the service includes new provision such as a telephone and triage support service and specialist help for young people aged under 18 and between 19 and 24 and will benefit more than 70,000 victims and witnesses of crime and ASB a year.
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In Protecting Business, the PCC support the recruitment of a Cyber Crime officer in the force’s Cyber Crime Unit to deliver education and advice to businesses and work closely with the EMSOU Regional Cyber Crime Unit.
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High-visibility policing, extra CCTV and the roll out of free home security upgrades have all helped to reduce burglary rates by -6.8% across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland while ASB was down -11.5% between April and December 2023. The PCC recently secured an extra £1,473,113 to tackle ASB and serious violence across the force area.
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In fulfilling his High-Tech Policing commitments, the PCC has supported investment in seven electric vehicles to the fleet, with two further vehicles set to arrive in 2024. Additionally, the force has boosted taser training to ensure a taser trained officer is within every double-crewed vehicle.
Ends
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Posted on Tuesday 12th March 2024