Police chief for Peterborough and Fenland lays out plan for better public trust
He's been with the force for 18 years
Last updated 22nd Mar 2024
The new area commander for Peterborough and Fenland is telling us more police presence will help build trust within the force.
Superintendent Ben Martin's been at Cambridgeshire Police for 18 years, having worked in detective roles investigating crimes such as violence, drugs and domestic abuse.
Mr Martin joins local policing from his previous role looking after criminal justice, custody and investigation standards for the force.
"It's a getting back to basics approach"
He believes taking a simple approach to incidents will help performance.
"I believe good local policing is a cornerstone of a good functioning society and I think I can help influence that," he said.
"It's getting back to basics approach of getting to incidents quickly when people phone us, making sure when we arrive at the incident we do a thorough and professional job taking witness statements, locking up the bad guys when there are bad guys to lock up," he said.
"I want to make sure we're doing the basics right, that's what policing is; sometimes it can seem over-complicated and I'm trying to get the message to my teams that doing the basics right will improve the situation."
Public trust a key area to work on
Last week, a report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services rated Cambridgeshire Police inadequate in areas such as answering emergency calls.
But the force was rated outstanding in "police powers and public treatment".
Mr Martin has also worked within the Professional Standards Department for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.
He hopes better relationships between police and the public can be built.
"The visibility element is not just a police car driving fast down your street getting from one job to the next," he added.
"But, where possible, stopping and a police officer getting out and having a chat with people in the area to understand their concerns and what's going on in their neighbourhoods.
"We've got a strong neighbourhood policing team here and they're on the ground daily, talking to local communities, understanding what matters to them.
"Building that trust and confidence isn't a quick thing, but it's something I want to make sure long-term we're focused on."