Police and Crime Plan 2013 – 2016

This is the Police and Crime Plan for the period 2013 – 2016.

In October and November 2016 Julia carried out a series of consultations to gather feedback to help her mould the next plan. Find out more about the consultation – Your community – Your say

Nearly 18 months since the first Police and Crime Plan was drafted, it is clear that the time is right to consider future priorities.

We have made significant progress against many of the original goals and we continue to be one of the safest places in the country. However, the challenges ahead are significant. The refreshed plan needs to reflect these and provide a clear direction of travel for North Yorkshire Police.

Overall, we need to maintain our position as one of the safest areas in England and Wales. This will be challenging, as unlike others in a similar position, we are surrounded by areas with much higher crime rates. This has a number of implications such as relatively high levels of cross-border crime, the need for ever closer operational collaboration between forces and ensuring that North Yorkshire receives its fair share of resources from partners such as the Crown Prosecution Service, probation and the courts.

We may have lower crime but this certainly does not mean that people in North Yorkshire feel its effects less keenly. Indeed, because we are so safe, when bad things happen they are often all the more distressing.

Over the past two years, we have met the financial challenges demanded of us, without a significant impact on operational policing. Indeed, we have been able to reverse the former Police Authority’s decision to cut police officer numbers and have had a number of successful recruitment campaigns.

I am in no doubt that a highly visible police force provides real reassurance. The police service must do all it can to ensure this is the case. Looking beyond 2016, this is going to be much more challenging and will mean thinking, and working, very differently. It is one reason why we are investing over £10m in technology now, which will help us increase productivity and maintain visibility into the future.
While we have seen real drops in crime and anti-social behaviour overall, some crime types are increasing. With finite resources, we need to have a clear focus on the most vulnerable people in our community, such as children and victims of domestic and sexual abuse. We also need to look more closely at how we work with partners to reduce demand, prevent harm and deliver swift and sure justice.

When crime does happen, it is imperative to have excellent victim care in place. I am introducing a new victim’s unit which will be a central point of contact for victims. At present, too many go without proper support or effective communication. The new unit will aim to reduce these gaps in service and ensure all victims get the care they need. I have also significantly increased the support services available to victims of the most serious crimes and introduced new punishments and rehabilitation for lower level offences. Reducing re-offending is also an important part of our plan to cut crime.

These plans and activities have been shaped by your feedback, formal research and analysing demand, patterns of crime and anti-social behaviour in North Yorkshire. We also have national responsibilities, especially with regard to counter terrorism, serious and organised crime and public
order.

In addition to meeting the specific challenges set out above, our mission is to be the most responsive police service in the country. As national PCC lead for transparency, I will ensure that the highest levels of integrity are maintained. North Yorkshire’s officers and staff are highly skilled and truly dedicated and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them. Every day they are out and about in our communities doing their job, keeping us safe. Not only do they need to be effective, they also need to put people first, to tailor services to the needs of individuals and to communicate effectively.

I hope this plan reflects your own priorities for policing in North Yorkshire, but if it doesn’t, please let me know. You can email me at pcc@northyorkshire-pcc.gov.uk, call the office on 01423 569562, or arrange to meet me at a surgery.