Chief Inspector Will Schofield is the District Police Commander for Havant and Waterlooville and is the current Vice-Chair of the Safer Havant Partnership. Chief Inspector Schofield has written an update on police activity and partnership working for visitors to the Safer Havant Partnership website:
I have been the commander at Havant for nearly two years, having arrived in April 2007. This has been a challenging, at times frustrating but mostly a satisfying and enjoyable period. We continue to provide 24 hour response teams from both Havant and Waterlooville police stations and in addition to this, in April 2008, ten Safer Neighbourhood teams were established; four in Waterlooville (one of which covers the East Hampshire District Council area South of Butser Hill), four in Havant and three in Leigh Park.
I am really pleased with what has been achieved. Over the three years 2006-2008 all crime was down by almost a fifth (18%). All crime is down again this year and what is more pleasing is that there are significantly less people calling in relation to anti-social behaviour. This suggests that there are less people having their lives blighted by disorderly behaviour, being assaulted, having their house burgled or having property stolen/damaged.
I feel this performance has been achieved by the Safer Neighbourhood Teams developing ‘ownership’ of their areas, engaging with their communities and working closely with partner agencies and groups to look at long term problem solving i.e. trying to tackle the causes of crime. I think it is fair to say that we have enjoyed an excellent relationship with our partners in the Safer Havant Partnership and it is this joint effort that has contributed to many of the successes.
The response teams have also worked hard over the last two years, detecting approx. 23.5% (almost one in four) crimes with a sanction against the offender. This is significantly higher than two years ago and demonstrates that criminals are being caught and dealt with fairly and robustly.
On 2nd February 2009 the Safer Neighbourhood Teams start working a new shift pattern. This was developed from what works in other areas around the country. It will enable them to work more closely as a team with daily briefings and tasking. The aim is to enable them to have a greater impact in their areas and increase their sense of ownership for any issues that arise. It will also mean they are working more duties in their neighbourhoods throughout the year.
The Hampshire Constabulary as a whole is currently looking to improve the service it delivers for non-urgent calls such as everyday crimes that are reported after the event. I am extremely keen to drive this work as I do feel it is an area where we can improve the service we deliver significantly. This will involve an appointment system where times can be agreed with the person reporting to see an officer either at home or at a police station at their convenience. It is intended that this will start in March 2009 but will be developed over the coming months.
Since I have been at Havant I am pleased to report that partnership working with other agencies/groups has improved drastically in most areas. Regular contact occurs at all levels where joint tasking goes on to tackle issues as diverse as anti-social behaviour, street and domestic violence and alcohol/drug abuse issues. This has in no small part been facilitated by Tim Pointer and his team in the borough’s community safety department. We are currently working together on the Constabulary’s initiative to combat burglary; operation Nemesis.
Like most organisations I have concerns over the effect of the ‘credit crunch’ in the coming year. Key priorities for policing will continue to be:
As a partnership there will be a focus on crimes of violence both in the street and in the home, tackling the harm caused by alcohol abuse and continuing to reduce anti-social behaviour.
Link to more information on the work of the Safer Neighbourhood Teams >>