Over 50 organisations from across the community safety landscape signed a pledge today in support of Lord Willy Bach’s Police and Crime Plan.
Leicestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Lord Willy Bach today (March 23) officially launched his four-year strategy for protecting the public and reducing harm across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR). He was joined by representatives from Leicestershire Police, local authorities, emergency services, community partners and third sector groups who were keen to play their part in preventing crime in order to better protect people.
The PCC unveiled his Police and Crime Plan, approved last month by the Police and Crime Panel, at the Salvation Army in New Parks, Leicester and promised to do all he could to help victims and vulnerable people recover during his tenure.
He stressed that crime prevention would underpin the foundations of his approach to community safety, saying that practical help and mentorship was needed to give offenders every opportunity to reform their behaviour.
Welcoming the many organisations attending he said that he ‘valued immensely the contribution made by partners’, saying: “Prevention, delivered through effective partnerships, will protect people and make our diverse community safer.”
He added: “If we’re going to build the kind of safe and prosperous communities we all want for our children then we have to actively support people to make permanent lifestyle changes – only then will they escape the crime cycle.”
The PCC’s plan identifies five key strands of opportunity which he calls “The Five V’s”: Viable Partnerships, Visible Policing, Victim Services, Vulnerability Protection and Value for Money.
Willy Bach confirmed that he intends to invest in the services which support his key objectives and would offer longer-term funding grants, where possible, to protect their future.
He also laid down his commitment to building a stronger and more visible police force in response to public feedback. It was revealed recently that the budget has enabled an additional 18 officers.
“The fact is that local people want to see more police officers in their communities but in today’s world, accessible policing doesn’t always mean police walking the beat. I’m acutely aware of the important role other, unseen, officers and staff play in disrupting and dismantling criminality. While they might not always be in sight, this work is nevertheless at the forefront of the efforts to protect society.
“I want to increase public access to policing in a variety of ways, as you will see in my plan.
“I’m keen to see closer work with the organisations that offer solutions at source. For this reason, I will continue to invest in services which motivate, inspire and re-educate victims and offenders to make better life choices and ultimately reduce demand on policing services.”
Chief Constable Simon Cole said: “The new Police and Crime Plan sets out the priorities for our work across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and stresses the importance of partnership working.
“It also recognises the desire for visibility, which we support with our dedicated neighbourhood teams, and acknowledges the challenges and complexities posed by cyber crime and digital investigations which continue to form part of our daily demand.
“The plan will be delivered within the maximum budget available to us, which will reduce over the course of the coming years.”
Among a series of priority areas on which Willy Bach intends to focus are those which impact on vulnerable members of society. These include alcohol and drug-related crime, Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), domestic violence and abuse, hate crime, human trafficking, mental health, missing from home individuals and sexual violence.
Thanking everyone for their support, he concluded, saying: “This is a partnership, the Police, cannot work in isolation, but together, we can drive the change that will make a real difference.”
To view the Plan in full, visit http://www.leics.pcc.police.uk/Home.aspx
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Posted on Thursday 23rd March 2017