Gloucestershire Police "greenest" in the UK
They're the only force in the country to pick up a Certification for Environmental Management
Gloucestershire Constabulary has retained its reputation as probably the ‘greenest’ police force in the country.
Following its latest inspection, it remains the only one in the UK to have secured international recognition for its continuing environmental management and commitment to measuring energy consumption and reducing waste.
The Constabulary is inspected every six months by an external expert to ensure that it continues to meet its demanding standards. To retain the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) Certification for Environmental Management, it undergoes a more stringent inspection every three years.
Police and Crime Commissioner Chris Nelson said, “By maintaining its position as the only force in the UK to hold ISO certification, we are showing our continuous improvement in environmental issues and setting an example for other forces in the country to follow.
“I want the Constabulary to be an exemplar in as many areas of its business as possible because that is the best way to drive improvement across the board.
“Protecting the planet is one of the big issues of the day and one in which we can all play a part. This award, which recognises the Constabulary’s continuing contribution towards environmental management, is an achievement of which everyone involved in the process can be very proud”.
ISO certification is a demanding process where an organisation has to demonstrate how it deals with the whole range of environmental management issues. For the Constabulary, it includes how it handles its waste, how it manages its fleet to reduce carbon output and how it manages other related policies.
Gloucestershire’s fleet of 435 vehicles comprises a combination of internal combustion engines, hybrid, and fully electric vehicles. With 21% of its fleet made up of fully-electric vehicles it is the largest fully-electric fleet in the country, by way of percentage.
While none of the vehicles are used as response vehicles, the majority are used by local investigation teams to help deliver savings of 283 tonnes of Co2 per year.
11 of the vehicles are fully marked up as traditional police cars with ‘zero emission’ labelling which spreads the message to the public and will help to save money for the force too, with estimated savings of around £140,000 per year as a result of decreased fuel costs and savings to servicing, in comparison to diesel vehicles.
Gloucestershire Constabulary is the only force in the country to hold the environmental certification ISO 14001 – the international standard for environment management systems, which was awarded to the force in 2007, and has just been recertified for the fifth time.
The Constabulary’s Environmental Manager Mandy Gibbs, said: “I am extremely proud that the Constabulary has this formal recognition and can call itself a national champion. Our ambition now is to show our continuous improvement by achieving carbon net zero by 2035”.