Norfolk’s PCC releases plan for safety, policing and supporting people across the county
Norfolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner Giles Orpen-Smellie today launches his Police, Crime and Community Safety Plan for 2022-24. The plan represents the PCC’s commitment to Norfolk residents about how their policing service will be delivered and managed as well as the provision of support for victims, crime prevention work and extensive partnership working that brings together services, and priorities safety for every resident in the county. For the first time, the plan brings together the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan and the priorities within the Norfolk County Community Safety Partnership’s Safer Norfolk Plan, putting a comprehensive focus on justice and safety for the whole county. It is part of the job of every PCC to publish a plan setting out how they will oversee policing in their county, manage budgets and provide support services for victims. In Norfolk, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner is unique in hosting the management of the county’s Community Safety Partnership, which brings together a network of local councils, policing, probation, youth offending, health and housing, all working together to improve safety in the county. The Police, Crime and Community Safety Plan was developed following a public consultation held during the summer which asked people about their priorities for policing and safety in the county and with the input of partners including Norfolk Constabulary’s Chief Constable Paul Sanford. Giles said: “This is a plan for the people of Norfolk, developed with their input and designed to put safety and justice for all at the heart of everything we and our partners in the constabulary do. “Throughout the development of this plan I have heard loudly and clearly that what people want is policing that tackles the crimes that really impact communities. “They are concerned about drug use and drug dealing, they want more to be done about speeding and dangerous driving and they want perpetrators of rape, serious sexual assaults and domestic abuse brought to justice. “Violence against women and girls is cause of huge concerns in communities up and down the country and more must be done to tackle it, in convictions but also in prevention. “People also want a police service they can see and that they can trust. Building those feelings of confidence in Norfolk’s communities goes hand in hand with demonstrating that our county has a police force to be proud of, and that is why all of these issues are at the heart of my new plan.” The plan sets out the detail of what the PCC will expect Norfolk Constabulary to deliver over the next two years and how, through a network of partnerships, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner will ensure the right support is available for Norfolk’s communities. The priorities are built on six pillars, with detailed objectives under each one featured in the plan:
- Sustain Norfolk Constabulary
- Visible and Trusted Policing
- Tackling Crime
- Prevent Offending
- Support Victims
- Safer and Stronger Communities
Giles added: “It is the job of the PCC to ensure that the people they serve get the policing service they need, and these priorities will form the basis on which I hold the Chief Constable for Norfolk to account. I hold regular accountability meetings with the Chief Constable and his senior team, and they are required to provide reports on how they are delivering against the priorities we have all agreed are the most important for Norfolk. “But it is also by drawing together a wider network through the Community Safety Partnership that we can really all be stronger together, sharing expertise to ensure that preventing crime, supporting victims and building trust are absolutely entwined in everything we do.” The Police Crime and Community Safety Plan replaces the plan in place under the previous PCC and will be in place throughout Giles’ term as PCC. Chief Constable Paul Sanford said: “In developing this plan, the PCC has consulted widely with communities across Norfolk and with my chief officer team. The result is a plan which seeks to address the significant police challenges facing the county. “The constabulary is committed to working alongside the PCC to tackle the priorities set out it the plan and to provide exceptional policing throughout the county.” Discover more about the plan >>