Restoring trust in Norfolk is key to new plan says PCC
We're all going to have to pay £10 more this year to ensure Norfolk has more visible and effective policing
Norfolk's Police and Crime Commissioner says restoring public trust in the service and preventing crime at source, are at the very heart of his latest two year plan.
It's a scheme that Giles Orpen-Smellie consulted the public on back in January and one that will see every Norfolk household pay £10 more this year compared to the one before.
What is the plan?
The plan sets out six priorities, built on six pillars, which detail what Mr Orpen-Smellie expects Norfolk Police to deliver over the next two years.
It also outlines how the PCC's office will ensure the right support is available for Norfolk's communities.
The six priorities come under these categories:
Sustain Norfolk Constabulary
Visible and trusted policing
Tackling crime
Prevent offending
Support victims
Safer and stronger communities
The PCC told us why he's singled out re-establishing public confidence as part of this scheme: "If you separate the public and the police by concentrating on crime you end up with a lack of faith because then when the public call for the police, the first question is 'we never see you', and if they don't get an immediate response they add the line, and when we call for you, you don't come".
Mr Orpen-Smellie also told us why it's vital they don't just focus on tackling major crimes: "We've got to start listening more to the public and addressing issues that they care about and there is logic there because if you've got a bunch of hoods on a street corner kicking up a fuss of an evening causing what's basically anti-social behaviour, when they are older they may have moved onto the more serious stuff.
"So there is an element whereby paying attention to the public now, we nip issues in the bud that might be more serious later".
He concluded by telling us that he can't rule out further increases in the future, but is aware that the current hike has got to produce results: "If I don't raise enough money and if the cost pressures of inflation, interest rates on our capital borrowing and a police pay rise (which they didn't get last year), add up to too much then the only area that I can really cut is officer numbers which is the last thing I want to do.
"So, I've alerted the Constabulary that I'm prepared to make robust decisions if that needs to be made.
"That £10 translates into 17p a week on a band B property, and you could argue that's not a lot. But, of course when you aggregate up the £10 over the year with all the other tax increases and cost of living increases, I as an elected representative have got to be very mindful of what my part in that aggregate effect might be."