18th February 2003
This week’s briefing covers stories from 18 police areas in England and Wales across the following BTP regions:
London North (2): Bedfordshire, Essex
London South (3): Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey
North East (6): Cleveland, Derbyshire, Durham, North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, South Yorkshire
North West (2) : Greater Manchester, Staffordshire;
Wales & Western (8): Avon & Somerset, Devon & Cornwall, North Wales, Warwickshire, West Mercia
- Appointment of deputy PCCs
- Police and crime plans
- Police precept on council tax
- Local news by BTP area
- Other national stories this week
- Appointments
Appointment of deputy PCCs
[The Guardian] has branded Surrey’s Kevin Hurley as “Britain’s most outspoken PCC” after he openly admitted not running a transparent and open process to appoint his deputy.
In an interview with the [Epsom Guardian] he said: “The role was too important for me to go through a process of interview boards with people I don’t know. To put it bluntly, I understand the business. I will not be bamboozled.”
Cleveland PCC Barry Coppinger has “made it clear” he will not be appointing a deputy. [Gazette Live]
Police and crime plans
More PCCs announced police and crime plans for their forces:
- Essex will not be setting specific targets: PCC Nick Alston wants to see a general crime reduction by next year. [The Enquirier]
- Avon and Somerset‘s PCC has vowed to crack down on anti-social behaviour. [Bath Chronicle]
- Tackling the drugs trade and reducing violent crime among Northamptonshire‘s priorities. [Northants Telegraph]
Two PCCs said they planned to focus on victims of crime:
- Dorset‘s PCC believes victims of crime should have more say in the way offenders are dealt with. [Stour and Avon Magazine]
- Bedfordshire PCC Olly Martins wants to communicate directly with victims of crime and ‘make sure we’re learning the lessons of their experiences’. [Luton on Sunday]
There were different promises made on police numbers this week:
- There will be no police officer cuts in Warwickshire, the region’s PCC has promised. [Stratford Observer]
- Greater Manchester Police is to recruit 250 new staff, including 50 police officers. [Rochdale Online]
- Surrey’s PCSOs are due to be reviewed in the hope they will change roles to become constables. [Get Surrey]
Police precept on council tax
All police and crime commissioners have now disclosed their precept proposals for 2013/14.
12 areas have frozen the precept, [Police Professional] reports, while Labour PCCs have the highest average increase rate. The highest increase is South Wales’ 7 per cent rise.
The following forces announced an increase in the policing part of council tax bills last week:
A full table of every police area’s precept changes is available here.
West Mercia plans to freeze the precept by using the force’s reserves to plug the budget shortfall. [Shropshire Star]
Warwickshire also announced a budget freeze. [Rugby Advertiser]
Local news by BTP area
London North
See appointments section below.
London South
Hampshire Constabulary is drafting plans for special officers on horseback to help combat crime in rural areas. [BBC News]
North East
Northamptonshire Police is to work closer with the county’s fire service, the PCC has announced. [Council press release]
North West
Body cameras are to be given to more than 1,000 police officers in Staffordshire to capture criminal evidence on film. [BBC News]
Wales & Western
Avon and Somerset Constabulary and Wiltshire Police hailed their ‘Brunel’ collaboration, which has has helped secure a total of 508 years imprisonment for dangerous offenders – in less than two years. [Police Oracle]
North Wales‘s PCC is planning to introduce a specialist countryside force for his region. [WalesOnline]
Other national stories this week
Appointments
The appointment of a new chief constable for North Yorkshire police has been delayed after interviews failed to find a suitable candidate. [BBC News]
Shaun Sawyer has been confirmed as the new chief constable for Devon and Cornwall Police. [This is North Devon]
Durham‘s temporary Chief Constable is to hold the post permanently, the Police and Crime Panel has confirmed. [BBC News]
Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner Stephen Kavanagh has been named the preferred candidate to become Essex Police’s next chief constable. [BBC News]