Police performance, contact and local policing are among the topics Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime Ben Adams will discuss with Chief Constable Chris Noble at a public meeting taking place on Tuesday 4 October.
The Police Public Performance Meeting, which will be broadcast live online from 1pm, is the first to be held since the publication of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services’ (HMICFRS) report into Staffordshire Police last Thursday (22 September).
During the meeting, the Commissioner will ask the Chief Constable about the progress the force is making to address the issues raised in the report, and to deliver the priorities detailed in his Police & Crime Plan.
Topics discussed will include:
- HMICFRS’ inspection of Staffordshire Police, carried out in January 2022 as part of the Police Efficiency, Effectiveness and Legitimacy (PEEL) programme
- Staffordshire Police’s new local policing model, launched on 27 June, which is already providing officers with an increased capacity to respond, investigate crime and give victims the attention they need, as well as more time for proactive policing
- Recruitment of additional staff into the force contact centre, and a new triage system to improve call prioritisation which is already taking pressure from 101 call queues
- A 3% reduction in overall crime across the force area for the period 1 September 2021-31 August 2022, with neighbourhood crime* down 17% for the same period (both compared to the national baseline for crime 1 July 2018-30 June 2019) and anti-social behaviour down 30% (compared to the 2019/20 baseline)
- Staffordshire Police’s ranking as fifth lowest in the 43 forces for total recorded crime, and lowest in the West Midlands region per 1,000 population
- The results of the recent Public Confidence Survey, which showed that 72% of people feel they can rely on their local police team
- A 12% uplift in officer numbers, with 1,860 officers in 2021/22 compared to 1,567 in 2018/19 – current predictions are that the force will exceed its target of 1,948.5 officers in 2022/23
- Plans for a new purpose-built indoor firearms training centre that meets national standards and specialist officers’ current and future needs, as part of the Staffordshire Commissioner’s commitment to investing in the facilities the force needs to keep our communities safe.
Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime, Ben Adams said: “This is the first Police Public Performance Meeting since HMICFRS published their report, and it will give people the opportunity to hear for themselves about the significant work underway across the force since the inspectors’ visit in January.
“Last December, I recruited a new Chief Constable, Chris Noble, from outside Staffordshire Police with experience of delivering rapid improvements, and I am greatly reassured that under his leadership, the force is moving in the right direction.
“With the new local policing model already making a difference, more officers based in our communities to deal with the issues that matter to people, and a focus on improving police contact, I am confident that Staffordshire Police is in a very different place to where it was almost a year ago when HMICFRS carried out their inspection.
“I will be closely monitoring the force’s performance to ensure this momentum is maintained to keep the communities of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent safe.”
The Police Public Performance Meeting will be live streamed online from 1pm on Tuesday 4 October, and will also be available to view afterwards.
Find out more and watch the meeting
*Neighbourhood crime is defined in the National Beating Crime Plan and includes residential burglary, personal robbery, theft from vehicles, theft of vehicles, vehicle interference and theft from a person.
