Rupert Matthews, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland's Police and Crime Commissioner has hailed Leicestershire Police's new neighbourhood policing model which has helped cut anti-social behaviour levels to the second lowest in the country.
This week the Commissioner is supporting a national campaign to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB). ASB Awareness Week 2022 runs from 18-22 July and the Commissioner will be out with neighbourhood officers during the week to see for himself the work they are doing to continue to drive down this type of behaviour.
Rupert Matthews said the force had been graded ‘outstanding' for preventing crime and anti-social behaviour in the latest police efficiency, effectiveness and legitimacy (PEEL) inspection by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).
Highlighting some key points, he said that the force's new operating model introduced in March 2020 was worthy of a special mention.
The model has moved operational staff closer to the communities they served in.
The move has meant 24-hour response officers, local intelligence officers and detectives now work side by side at local stations alongside dedicated neighbourhood officers which HMICFRS said promoted shared responsibility for local problems and increased the capacity and capability of problem-solving activity.
Its report said the operating model enabled leaders to deploy staff to local priorities such as crime hotpots, outstanding offenders' and high-risk individuals - all of which was backed up with ‘accessible, real-time, helpful data' from the force IT systems.
"All of this helps the workforce to easily see what local neighbourhood issues are affecting an area and helps in local policing and problem-solving activity," the report added.
HIMCFRS said in the year ending March 31 2021, Leicestershire Police recorded 12 anti-social behaviour incidents per 1,000 population - the second lowest rate across all forces in England and Wales.
Responding to the report, Mr Matthews said: "This glowing assessment should reassure our communities that they have a dependable and reliable police service they can trust to do a good job.
"The new operating model places officers at the centre of their communities to tackle the issues that matter most to the public and deliver practical solutions. I am delighted HMICFRS has recognised its merits and the work our officers undertake every day, alongside their partners, to keep local people safe and rid our neighbourhoods of crime.
"It has been a difficult and turbulent time for policing over recent years which makes this innovation and success much more remarkable. We will continue to exploit opportunities to evolve and advance so we are able to give even more back to our communities.
"Rural crime will remain a key priority for the force in the future as set out in my Police and Crime Plan and I am looking forward to reviewing how new resources and continued investment in our rural crime team is enhancing our response to our more remote communities."
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