Police & Crime

Following a widespread consultation, I now have published my Police & Crime Plan for 2024-2028 which provides the strategic direction for how Staffordshire Police should be delivered over coming years.

This plan is informed by our communities’ expectations: a good quality service which responds quickly to emergencies, crime reports or sharing of information. An expectation that they will be treated with courtesy and respect, that victims will be kept informed and that crime and ASB in their neighbourhoods will be addressed.

Staffordshire Police is well placed to meet these expectations, balancing them with the demands of tackling organised criminals, responding to increases in domestic abuse, and protecting children and vulnerable people.

With council taxpayers’ support, I will continue to invest in the technology, training and people to help the force meet these daily challenges, weighing up risk and potential harm to prioritise tasks.

In my Police & Crime plan, and in my public performance meetings with the Chief Constable, we will also focus on the force’s response to vehicle crime, rural crime and retail crime, as well as prioritising 101 call answering times.

Too many people are seriously injured or killed on our roads, so this remains a plan priority. My deputy and I co-chair the Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership, bringing together council highways, education and other specialists with Police and Fire & Rescue.

Staffordshire’s significant court backlog since the pandemic distresses victims and undermines public confidence, so I will strengthen relationships between the agencies responsible for delivering justice. I will use my powers to bring agencies together to tackle the underlying causes of crime, reduce violence and push for more rapid justice.

Staffordshire Police and partners in local councils, housing, NHS, voluntary sector and other agencies can all contribute to preventing and reducing crime and ASB, and many have a statutory requirement to do so. Our Local Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) have an important role to play, and this plan outlines how I will help them focus on community concerns and involve residents and businesses in their solutions.

Keeping Staffordshire safe is something we must all do together. I will be doing everything I can to help residents, businesses, charities, our Police service and our criminal justice and community safety partners to play their part.

Ben Adams, Staffordshire Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime Commissioner