Chief Constable's column
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This summer has been a highly challenging one for policing across the UK but it has been pleasing to see how well the constabulary pulled together to meet both national and local needs. The widespread disorder across the country led to a mobilisation of specialist officers that needed to respond wherever the need was greatest, and this included public order trained officers from Suffolk. In addition to this there were three murder investigations launched in the space of a few weeks in Suffolk which needed a swift response followed by ongoing, painstaking investigative follow up.
The summer is always the busiest period for policing in terms of public demand and it was necessary to instigate resilience plans which led to officers being disrupted from their normal working patterns and roles to ensure we were able to respond to emergencies as a priority. Changes were not made lightly and, whilst police officers and staff recognise that the nature of the work will often cause disruption to their social and domestic lives, it is a real challenge when this is for extended periods of times as was the case this summer. The professionalism seen throughout was exemplary and it’s always amazing to see officers and staff going above and beyond to support the communities that they are part of.
Sadly, two of the new murder investigations involved further extreme examples of violence against women and girls. This issue remains a high priority for policing, and we are committed to protecting women in our community wherever there is a need. Often the lead up to such crimes involves well-hidden abuse or repeat behaviours by those responsible against other women. As ever, we would urge those that see patterns of abuse developing to intervene or report what is happening to professionals so that cycles of abuse or abusive behaviour can be recognised and tackled before they escalate.
The start of a new academic year also highlights the vulnerability of the children in our communities who are often targeted by criminals. In an ever evolving society, the threat posed by cyber enabled crime is a concern to many parents or those that work around children. As a result of our recently revamped local policing operating model, we are having greater involvement with education establishments than ever before to try and share preventative advice with young people. That said, it is important that parents also develop their knowledge of the threats faced by their children and support them in taking practical steps around their safety.
Turning now to Right Care Right Person (RCRP) which I’ve talked about before, I am pleased that the constabulary’s new approach to ensure that vulnerable people get the right support from the right agency is having a positive effect, with a reduction in the number of incidents officers are having to attend. RCRP was introduced into the force on in October last year, and is a response approach to ensure that when there are concerns for a person’s welfare linked to mental health, medical or social care issues, the right person with the right skills, training and experience will respond at the earliest stage possible.
Since revising the force’s response to calls for service relating to concerns for welfare, there has been a reduction in calls for service, meaning an increased capacity for officers to focus on crime and anti-social behaviour and an improvement in response times to other policing demand. Over the course of the first six months (October 2023 – March 2024) the force saw 2,500 fewer incidents attended for concern for welfare (a 45% decrease). Crucially, this means that the calls we receive are more appropriate for a policing response. Meanwhile, the first month after the adoption of phase two of RCRP (situations when people walk out of health & care settings) saw 23 incidents assessed under the revised approach. Five incidents police attended and 18 were referred back to the caller.
The background to the change is that in recent years there has been a significant rise in the number of calls for service police receive that are related to mental health. These have often led to the force deploying to situations where it has no legal duty to attend and, probably more importantly. where police officers and staff are not equipped with the skills, knowledge, or training to provide the best and most effective response to a member of the public at their time of need. The care in many cases is now being provided by the agency that can best meet the individual’s needs.
Police will continue to protect the public where the risks presented need a policing attendance. Keeping people safe in Suffolk is our priority and we are still committed to protecting the most vulnerable in our communities and, where there is an immediate risk to life or a risk of serious harm, we will still attend. However, these figures are very encouraging and demonstrate that the public and our partners are understanding what an appropriate call for police service is. We have introduced the scheme over an extended period and through a phased approach to help with the adjustments needed by our partners. We are committed to working collectively on public sector solutions that see the best service possible to the communities of Suffolk, whilst ensuring we effectively deliver the specific role that the public can expect of their police service.
Finally, I’d like to remind you of the series of public meetings the Police & Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore and I are hosting across the county through autumn.
The meetings are aimed at updating residents on policing matters and give an opportunity to ask questions and comment about the service they receive. The full list of dates can be found on the PCC website, on the police website and look at our social media as well. I look forward to meeting with you.