Bedfordshire Police Authority
Issue 18 - June 2012
Welcome to the latest edition of Making Contact, the newsletter which keeps you up-to-date with policing in Bedfordshire.   You will find latest performance information, news from the Authority and an update on the progress we are making in the transition to a Police and Crime Commissioner, which will take place in November.

 
1. Bedfordshire Police Authority re-elects its chair for final term of office
Peter Conniff was unanimously re-elected as the last chair of Bedfordshire Police Authority at the Authority’s final AGM.
Mr Conniff, who is an independent member of Authority and will be embarking on his eighth term of office, will serve for a six-month period until the arrival of the county’s first-ever directly-elected Police and Crime Commissioner in November.
He said that he wanted to ensure that the Authority continued to deliver value for money during its final period and expected the Force to make further improvements to policing outcomes in Bedfordshire, such as fewer victims of crime.
Speaking of his appointment, Mr Conniff said: “I would like to thank my colleagues for their continuing support as we enter the concluding phase of our service.
“We must not underestimate the hard work ahead and as an Authority it’s crucial that we keep our eye on the ball to make sure that the excellent progress the Force achieved during the past 12 months continues throughout 2012.
“We are still dealing with significant funding cuts but the increase in the amount of council tax paid towards policing means that we will continue to focus on key areas such as victim satisfaction, during the Authority’s final six months.”
During the meeting, members also unanimously elected Linda Hockey as Vice Chairman.

2. Performance success boosts Bedfordshire’s national position
The latest performance figures reveal that Bedfordshire Police has dramatically improved its status nationally for solving the most prolific crimes.
The Police Authority is pleased to report that the Force has achieved its target to rank 20th or better in no fewer than four out of five priority crime types; domestic burglary, vehicle crime, most serious violence and serious sexual offences. This marks a huge step in the Force and Authority’s ambition to make Bedfordshire’s streets safer and ensures that residents are increasingly less likely to become a victim of crime.
The most impressive improvement was recorded in serious sexual offence detections. In this category, detections rose from 20% in 2010-11 to 46% in 2011-12 which resulted in a rank change of 40th place to 1st. This means victims of serious sexual crimes receive the best standard of investigation in England and Wales.
As well as solving more offences, recorded crime has fallen across many areas including overall crime which dropped from 43,617 offences in 2010/11 to 40,795 in 2011/12 (6.5% or 2,882 offences). This represents a reduction of eight offences every day.
The Force has delivered on many key aims set out within the Policing Plan, including reducing rates of domestic burglary, which have fallen from 3,923 to 3,149 offences in 12 months – two fewer offences every day.
There is no sign of complacency however, and the Authority remains very aware of the work required to tackle anti-social behaviour and the need to see significant improvements in victim satisfaction.
Although the scale of the improvements last year was described as impressive, members intend to keep their eyes firmly on the ball to ensure that performance continues to strengthen in advance of the incoming PCC.

3. Protecting the frontline through outsourcing
The Police Authority has recently agreed to proposals to develop a full business case for outsourcing Organisational Support Services for Bedfordshire Police together with Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire Constabularies, as part of their collective effort to tackle the £73m shortfall in police funding across the three counties.

The business case will be developed alongside a second option so that when the incoming PCC takes the final decision this person has at least two options to consider.

If agreed by all three PCCs, the earliest that outsourced services could be in place would be April 2013.

More about the proposals and an outline Business Case can be found on the Police Authority’s website: www.bedfordshirepoliceauthority.co.uk

4. Air support and the future
Bedfordshire Police and Authority are currently in negotiation with the National Police Air Service (NPAS) project team to help identify a viable solution for air support in Bedfordshire.
The Authority has supported, in principle, the proposed single national support service but we have raised concerns about the level of service Bedfordshire will receive under the current plans. As a result, we are trying to find a better solution as a national service provision does provide our best chance of retaining this valued air support capability. Policing Minister Nick Herbert has laid an order in Parliament giving him the power to mandate the Authority to join the scheme which is why we are trying to ensure it works well for Bedfordshire residents.
The current helicopter service is an expensive asset and would see big and unjustifiable cuts elsewhere in the service if it were to remain. We must ensure that public money is used effectively in the face of the sweeping savings required of us.

5. Collaboration delivers greater resilience
Bedfordshire’s three-way Strategic Alliance with Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire is bringing huge operational benefits to the force – especially local policing, an Annual Review has found.
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire now have 13 collaborative units and one with Cambridgeshire delivering mainly Protective Service functions across the forces which have generated some £4.4million of cash savings every year - £1.5m specifically for Bedfordshire.
The partnerships, in relation to major crime, have meant Bedfordshire no longer has to abstract police officers away from local policing to investigate homicides and is able to protect the level of resources allocated to local policing. It has also significantly benefited from the increased resilience created from having access to a wider pool of resources at times of extraordinary demand including Firearms, Roads Policing and Dogs.
Four additional units – Professional Standards, Scientific Services, Major Crime and Armed Policing - went live between January and April this year, delivering £2.55m savings within 2012/13. This figure is expected to increase by £0.95m. A collaborated Counter Terrorism and Domestic Extremism unit is currently being implemented which will realise further savings of £0.25m.
The Strategic Alliance Agreement is expected to result in more than 50% of Bedfordshire’s current business being undertaken by collaborative units. In addition to savings, it is anticipated a higher proportion of the three Forces’ budgets will be aligned to local policing to deliver a better service to our local communities.
By 2015, it is anticipated that a wide range of further joint operational functions and support services will have been established, saving around £20m per year and bringing economies of scale and increased resilience.

6. PCC Transition Update
As the new policing landscape draws nearer, Bedfordshire Police and the Police Authority are working hard to ensure transition arrangements are thorough and effective ahead of the arrival of the county’s first Police and Crime Commissioner who will be responsible for the totality of policing in the county.
Last month, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) carried out an inspection to monitor our transition arrangements and the steps we are taking to ensure a smooth handover and is very reassured with the progress made thus far.
Local Authorities in Bedfordshire have agreed the balanced political representation for the Police and Crime Panel and are expecting to report the outcome to the Home Office by July 1. Meanwhile, Community Safety Partners are developing a prospectus for potential candidates, mapping funding streams to help inform the development of the Police and Crime Plan. The Authority has already produced an online candidate information pack and will be holding candidate information sessions during the summer. Members have also been engaging with a wide range of partners and stakeholders to ensure the new policing structure is fully understood.

7. New national representative body for PCCs
Ministers have agreed that the Association of Police Authorities (APA) is the best placed organisation to establish a representative body to support and represent PCCs at a national level from November.
The new body will provide a number of services to PCCs including advice to candidates from May 2012, facilitating a national programme of transition and induction for PCCs, ensuring PCCs have a strong and positive national profile, providing information on national policing policy issues and consulting PCCs on national issues to help influence change.
Links to all of the information candidates may need including policing policy briefings and force performance information will be available at: www.apccs.police.uk.

8. New PCC communication tools
A new section of the Home Office website will be launching this month containing information for the public, partners and prospective candidates. The site has been developed to include the latest information in an easy access format.
The new information will include:
  • A set of candidate briefings
  • Partner information pages
  • PCCs Twitter feed
The Home Office recently ran a series of 17 workshop events across England and Wales to consider issues relating to the transition to PCCs. As a result of the events, a document of frequently asked questions has been drawn up and will shortly be uploaded on the Home Office website at: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/police/police-commissioner-events

9. Tight Timescales for Budget Setting and Police and Crime Plan
The Force and Authority (from November known as the Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner (OPCC)) are facing a tight timescale to both set the budget and prepare for the development of the Police and Crime Plan following the election of the PCC on 15 November and subsequent take up of the role on 22 November.
The regulations show that the following timetable needs to be planned into the PCC, PCP and Budget diaries for precept setting:
  • The PCC must notify the PCP of the proposed precept by 21st December
  • The PCP has to review this by 15th Jan
  • The PCC with then respond by 31st Jan
  • The PCP reviews and issues a second report by 14th Feb
  • The PCC must have regard to and respond to the panel and publish the response by 1st March
In addition, the PCC’s first Police and Crime Plan, which of necessity has to correlate to the budget, must be issued by the end of March 2013. This public document will articulate the PCC’s priorities and set out their objectives for the policing of the force area, crime and disorder reduction in the force area and discharging the police force’s national and international functions. It is also the document in which PCCs will be held to account by the electorate.
To ensure that key partners are consulted prior to the PCC taking office, the Authority has issued invitations to a Strategic Planning Seminar in September specifically designed to help shape the plan.

And finally…
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For further information or to contact us:
Bedfordshire Police Authority
Bridgebury House, Woburn Road, Kempston, Bedford, MK43 9AX.
Tel: 01234 842066
Email: info@bedfordshirepoliceauthority.co.uk
Web: www.bedfordshirepoliceauthority.co.uk