The draft Police and Crime Plan for Essex
Consultation on the draft Police and Crime Plan is now closed.
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As the first Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Essex, my overriding objective is simple: I want to ensure that crime continues to fall in our county so that there are fewer victims of crime.
We face a real risk that further cuts in the number of police officers and staff, and not providing sufficient funding for partnership working, will make Essex more vulnerable to crime.
The only way I can seek to secure funding is through lifting what we pay through council tax to more responsible levels. I don’t feel that we in Essex should be proud of paying less through council tax for our police than any other county in England and Wales.
My promise to everyone who lives and works in Essex is that I will ensure that Essex Police and community safety organisations use funds effectively and efficiently to reduce crime and keep our county safe.
The Police and Crime Plan (the Plan) for Essex will play a crucial part in delivering the objective of reducing crime in our county. My first two months in office has given me some deep insights into the challenges of crime reduction in Essex, and I am now in a position to share the draft Plan with you.
This is the first draft of the emerging four-year Plan. It includes my broader role in bringing together the police, public and wider partners to cut crime and keep communities safe.
The Plan also sets out the expectation that the delivery of policing services is effectively matched to meet local district level needs, while balancing those regional and national policing demands, such as major organised crime and terrorism.
The draft Plan seeks to focus on those areas that are a particular problem in Essex or underpin wider crime trends in order to produce clear alternatives.
It targets issues that affect and influence levels of crime and public safety across society, such as alcohol, drugs and re-offending. I believe this is essential to achieving affordable impacts on crimes such as burglary and violent crime, as well as on anti-social behaviour (ASB).
Therefore the areas of focus are:
– Ensuring local solutions meet local problems
– Reducing domestic abuse
– Reducing youth offending and youth re-offending
– Tackling the causes and consequences of drug and alcohol abuse
– Improving crime prevention
– Increasing efficiency in policing through collaborative working and innovation
– Supporting our victims of crime
– Improving road safety
During the election campaign and since taking up office, I have been listening and engaging with the people of Essex, and I wanted to hear your views and observations on the draft Police and Crime Plan.
Consultation on the Plan is now closed.
Please note that I have not been able to respond directly to your feedback. However, I have personally read every one of your comments or observations and I have drawn out the key themes and areas of focus.
I will be formally submitting the revised draft Plan to the Police and Crime Panel on 14th February 2013, for their review at the meeting of 21st February. I can assure you that your views are valued and will be strongly considered as we revise and write the final version of the Plan.
Nick Alston
Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex
