PCC welcomes HMIC report into police legitimacy
“I welcome the HMIC report into police legitimacy and the finding that Essex Police is ‘Good’ in how it goes about its core work of keeping people safe and reducing crime.”
“Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh has led a strong focus on ethics, and on proactive handling of complaints and misconduct. I fully endorse this approach, which is supported by the Ethics and Integrity Committee that I have introduced as part of the PCC governance structure.
“I am pleased to see that the wide range of methods of communication used by Essex Police has been identified as being important in ensuring that all members of the Essex public are informed about police activity and news. I am clear that the force must use all means of communicating in order to ensure that no part of our population is excluded. Essex Police must speak to and with the young and the old, and with members of all our diverse communities, digitally, through the press and face-to-face, in a way that is most convenient and practical for the public.
“I also welcome the focus on volunteers, engaging with young people, regular locally focused public meetings in all parts of our county, Essex Community Messaging and the Cadets Programme. As PCC, I have encouraged and supported much of this work, and I am delighted that it is being enthusiastically driven by Essex Police.
“Finally, I am reassured with respect to the findings in the fields of Stop and Search, and the use of Taser. These are important and sensitive police powers, and the public needs to know they are being used and scrutinised appropriately. Both Stop and Search and the use of Taser have been and will continue to be subject to scrutiny by my office, and I am pleased the findings of HMIC broadly support the result of that scrutiny.”
Nick Alston, Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex
