Prime Minister's speech on policing
Dear all,
Today the Prime Minister made a speech (summary below) on policing and tackling crime. Our media response for information and should you get approached locally, is below. The key points he made were;
- A commitment to officer numbers and funding that has to be matched by the local authority
- Called for a public debate on policing
- Said the biggest challenge was tackling the fear of crime
- Refuted, with figures from the BCS, the Conservative talk of broken Britain
- Pledged support for the DNA database
- Pledged new powers to petition the local authority to get more CCTV
- Online police report cards to ensure accountability
- Wants neighbourhood teams to be on the beat 80% of the time
Responding to the Prime Minister's speech today on policing, Paul McKeever, Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales says;
"Whilst we are delighted that the Prime Minister sees the importance of maintaining police officer numbers and policing resources, it is important chief officers and police authorities implement and utilise this investment wisely to ensure the public gets what it expects; more police officers on the streets.
"Our concern is that with 32 forces already reporting a recruitment freeze, combined with the natural loss of officers leaving and retiring, it seems more likely we will see a dip in officer numbers. We would therefore be interested to hear a more precise projection on what figures the government believes provides the resilience needed, particularly with the 2012 Olympic games not too far in the future and with the clear link given that the current level of police officer numbers is proving successful in keeping crime rates down."
"The Prime Minister is right that it is not just tackling crime but the fear of crime which is key to public confidence in the police. We are glad that Mr Brown recognises the importance of an open and public debate on the future of policing; something the Federation has been demanding for over a decade. This must be done urgently and needs to look at the whole of the criminal justice system to ensure targets between agencies don't clash, that there are clear communication lines and that excessive and unnecessary bureaucracy does not hinder the process."
"We believe tougher, more transparent sentencing and a commitment to having a visible and warranted police officer presence on the streets will go a long way to boost public confidence that crime is being effectively tackled"
Prime Minister speech - summary
The Prime Minister this morning challenged councils in England and Wales to match the government's commitment to protecting frontline police spending.
Gordon Brown also pledged to tackle the public's fear of crime and outlined new powers for the public to hold police forces to account.
The Prime Minister began his speech in Reading by paying tribute to the UK's police force.
He was here to talk about facts, the PM explained. The British Crime Survey had found that crime was falling, and was down by a third since 1997, Mr. Brown pointed out. The risk of being a victim of crime was the lowest since the survey began in 1981.
Despite these facts, people still feared crime, the Prime Minister conceded. The fear of crime was higher when police were not seen patrolling the streets and when people did not believe the police were capable of dealing with the issues they faced. He understood these fears, Mr. Brown said.
This fear could damage communities, Mr. Brown admitted. The challenge for the government was to make an impact upon the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour.
He criticised the Conservatives for claiming that society was broken and increasing fear. Debate must be honest and facts accurate, Mr. Brown stressed.
Reducing fear of crime was dependent on a strong police force on the street. He was protecting frontline policing whilst the opposition had failed to, he pointed out. The Prime Minister was committed to a strong, modern police force for all, he pledged.
Labour were in favour of delivering rights on policing, justice and antisocial behaviour to the public This work was at the core of their agenda, the Prime Minister stressed.
Today's neighbourhood policing strategy detailed how neighbourhood police were making communities safer. The national standards for policing also provided the public with a greater say than ever over how policing was carried out in their areas.
Everyone had greater rights when it came to their neighbourhood police, the Prime Minister stressed.
He repeated that protecting investment in policing was a key Labour policy.
Police numbers were at an all time high, he pointed out. There were also 16,000 police community support officers, he said.
He recognised the importance of the police, he repeated.
CCTV and DNA were crucial tools for the police, Gordon Brown explained. CCTV reduced the fear of crime and antisocial behaviour, he pointed out. In the coming months people would be able to petition local authorities for more CCTV. Their support for CCTV would be on the ballot paper, he stressed.
DNA testing was also key to ensuring justice, Mr. Brown stressed. Some had argued removing everyone not convicted immediately from the database, but the Prime Minister believed many crimes would go unsolved if this occurred. Labour's commitment to this would also be on the ballot paper, the Prime Minister stated.
His government would always put the public at the centre of policing, Mr. Brown said. The police would be protected, not politicised, he stressed.
Police would, however, be held to account, the Prime Minister pledged. The government's crime mapping site showed the level of public confidence in policing in local areas as of today, he announced.
Jack Straw had set out clear guidance to ensure the public's right to know where crimes had been committed, he pointed out.
Where police were failing, the public should be aware of this as well. He was clear that neighbourhood policing teams should spend 80 percent of their time on the streets.
The government were determined public accountability would occur. From next week HMIC would publish online report cards of police performance, the PM announced. From this summer the public would also have the right to petition online for meetings with senior Police officers, he said.
As with rights when it came to the NHS and schools, so too the public could expect rights and ways to hold police to account under a Labour government, Mr. Brown explained.
The Prime Minister did not agree with those who suggested the police were the last unreformed public service, he added.
On anti-social behaviour, the PM stressed early intervention for families were key. Ed Balls had set out plans for tackling discipline in schools. More intensive support was required, as well as sanctions for families who caused problems. The Family Intervention Programme would be expanded and from April, neighbourhood police would be able to refer problem families to these programmes, Mr. Brown announced.
In the worst case of repeat anti-social behaviour, a guarantee from the system as a whole would be required, he believed. They were looking at a guarantee ensuring victims were protected. He would look at legislating on this issue in the next parliamentary session, the Prime Minister said.
Progress was and continues to be made, the PM repeated. Offenders were supervised after release on a much closer basis than every before. From tomorrow the minimum tariff for murder with a knife would be increased to 25 years, Mr. Brown pointed out. Tough community payback was also part of the government policy, he added.
Mr. Brown would never compromise on protecting the British public, he vowed. A great deal had been achieved and more would be done, he pledged.
Britain was strong when its communities were strong, and these communities were strong when rules were fair. He resented those who talked down what had been achieved in British communities, he said.
Gordon Brown would never accept the defeatist and simplistic argument that Britain was broken, attacking David Cameron. He accepted there were problems but these could and would be tackled, he believed.
Senior Communications Officer
Police Federation of England and Wales
