Redesigning the local policing operating model to keep Suffolk safe

Introduction

Suffolk Constabulary will be changing its local policing model from December 2023 to ensure we continue to provide the best possible service for the public.

We understand it is crucial for officers to be where people need them to be, when they are needed the most.

The demands on neighbourhood policing have risen enormously over the last few years, increasing the pressure on our teams.

Our priority will always be to do all we can to keep the public safe and bring criminals to justice. To achieve that we need to evolve.

This reshaping of our local policing structure will enhance the way we respond to emergencies, deal with other incidents, investigate offences, prevent crime, and interact with communities across Suffolk.

The new model will be comprised of three parts: Community Policing Teams, Response Investigation Teams, and a County Partnership and Prevention Hub.

Community Policing Teams
Community policing is the bedrock of all we do. There are 50 new Community Policing Areas with 80 Community Policing Officers. They will be more visible and have local ownership of the areas they serve. Officers, supported by Police Community Support Officers, will be embedded in their specific Community Policing Areas. This will enable them to understand better the public’s concerns and target our activity where it is needed most.

The constabulary’s existing Rural and Wildlife Team and Kestrel Teams, which proactively target neighbourhood crime across the county, will remain unchanged. They will support the Community Policing Teams.

Response Investigation Teams
Officers working in our Neighbourhood Response Teams will no longer only respond to emergencies. They will now be part of Response Investigation Teams, who will have additional officers moved from the current Safer Neighbourhood Teams. They will continue to be responsible for emergency and non-emergency calls, but they will also tackle high-volume crime investigations.

County Partnership and Prevention Hub
The hub will co-ordinate the work between police and partners across Suffolk and will provide consistent delivery of frontline policing across the county. Among its responsibilities will be anti-social behaviour, hate crime, and issues with children and young people, along with neighbourhood policing.

We strive to do all we can to listen to our communities, and to live up to their expectations. The remodelled local policing structure is being put in place as a result of extensive research, including analysis of our demand.

The new model will not increase the number of officers and staff we have in local policing. What it will do is ensure they have the best opportunity to be in the right place at the right time, doing the things the public expect from us.

Our vision has always been, and will continue to be, to ensure Suffolk remains a safe place to live, work, travel, and invest.

If you have a view to share about the new operating model, please email at
[email protected]

Chief Constable Rachel Kearton
www.suffolk.police.uk

&

Police & Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore
www.suffolk-pcc.gov.uk

Community Policing Areas and allocation of Community Policing Officers

(click map to enlarge)

Response Investigation Teams

What is changing?

The current Neighbourhood Response Teams (NRT) will become the Response Investigation Teams (RIT). The change in name brings renewed focus on quality investigations and there will be an increase in officers in the RIT’s, moving across from the current Safer Neighbourhood Teams.

The RIT will respond to incoming demand of both emergency and non-emergency calls, including missing people and will investigate volume crime that is not allocated into the Criminal Investigations Department or the Safeguarding Investigation Units.

The RIT will investigate some volume crime that was previously investigated by the Safer Neighbourhood Teams.

Where will the Response Investigation Teams be based?

The Response Investigation Teams will be based right across Suffolk.

The Response Investigation Teams will consist of the following numbers across 5 teams in each command area: