A review of how police deal with burglaries in Staffordshire has taken place as part of ongoing work to make sure victims’ needs are put first.
The day-long review by the force was supported by the Ethics, Transparency and Audit (ETA) Panel – an independent group established by Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis to strengthen public scrutiny of the police.
The review turned the spotlight on five burglaries in Staffordshire and looked at how control room staff handled the initial call, officers’ response, forensic examination of the scene, the detectives’ investigation and whether victims were kept updated. Victims of each burglary were also invited to give their feedback ‘live’ into the event.
The Commissioner set out a vision 12 months ago to put the needs of victims and witnesses at the heart of the criminal justice system in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. He has asked his deputy, Sue Arnold, to oversee a review and reform of services on his behalf so that victims and witnesses are supported in ways that recognise their individual circumstances and needs better.
Mr Ellis said: “In Staffordshire we are working to make the system fit the individual, rather than the person fit the system – one that treats victims with dignity and respect.
“Honest and independent scrutiny by the public is crucial as we strive to set the bar higher and create a new dawn of transparency in policing.
“This is exactly the sort of work the ETA panel are here for – to open up the police to even greater public scrutiny to make sure victims of crime get the service they deserve.”
Detective Inspector Steve Smith from Staffordshire Police CID said: “We need to ensure every victim of crime gets the very best service we can deliver and we must not under estimate the impact of someone breaking into your home. The burglary review was extremely useful in identifying ways we can work better to improve the service we provide, and it identified that our initial response was good, with victims generally and the panel generally impressed with the speed and level of our response. However the review clearly shows that we need to improve the support for victims and the detail of the communication and contact they have with us whilst we continue the investigations. We have already started to work on a number of actions to improve this as a result of this burglary review.”
The Ethics, Transparency and Audit (ETA) Panel is made up of eight members of the public and meets regularly to monitor the work of police including whether crime recording is honest and the process of dealing with complaints from the public is fair and honest. It’s due to be localised across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent later this year.
