Crime
The policing year in summary
The last policing year saw some notable successes and challenges for Hertfordshire Constabulary. Overall, crime fell with more than 20,000 offenders brought to justice and over 2,000 uninsured or dangerous vehicles seized. Deaths/serious injuries on our roads were reduced whilst call-handling performance and the number of Ward Constables and Police Community Support Officers recruited rose, resulting in improved visibility and local reassurance.
One of the largest challenges occurred in December 2005 when Buncefield Oil Depot exploded. Police staff clearly demonstrated how they put themselves on the frontline, helping to protect people and property. Managing the incident overall, they supported all the other agencies involved in the response to Europe's biggest peacetime oil fire.
The Constabulary aims to build on its ability to respond effectively, bringing about further reductions in crime; with more crimes being detected and more criminals brought to justice. It aims to increase the feelings of safety and reassurance - by transferring the fear of crime from the innocent to the criminal!
Monitoring shows that user satisfaction in service delivery for domestic burglary and vehicle crime victims increased, road traffic collisions remained stable but violent crime and racist incidents reduced.
Indicator CR1 - Recorded Crime
| 2003/2004 | 2004/2005 | 2005/2006 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total crime | 95,117 | 97,065 | 95,273 |
| - Offences resulting in the offender receiving a caution, conviction or taken into consideration by a court | 15,879 | 16,350 | 20,370 |
| Home burglaries | 5,649 | 5,385 | 4,733 |
| Serious violent crimes | N/A | 8,494 | 7,706 |
| Robberies | 972 | 875 | 933 |
| Vehicle crimes | 16,239 | 13,109 | 12,506 |
| Offences leading to a charge, caution or summons for trafficking & supply of Class A drugs | 178 | 322 | 362 |
| Offences leading to a charge, caution or summons for trafficking & supply of Crack cocaine | 56 | 116 | 123 |
2006 user satfisfaction survey with service delivery against crimes
Source: Hertfordshire constabulary report 2006
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| Public Safety and Confidence | 2003/2004 | 2004/2005 | 2005/2006 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road traffic collisions involving death & serious injury | 595 | 586 | 489 |
| Immediate response incidents attended within 15 minutes | 91.2% | 92.1% | 90.7% |
| 999 calls answered within 10 seconds | 85.1% | 81.9% | 91.7% |
| Non-emergency calls answered within 30 seconds | n/a | n/a | 74.2% |
| Proportion of police officers from ethnic minority groups | - | 57(2.6%) | 59(2.7%) |
Police Numbers
172 new police officers were recruited last year, bringing the total to 2,143; the highest number yet, almost reaching the 2,170 officer target.
Police Community Support Officers provide a valuable support role and their numbers increased again with almost 140 in post by the end of March 2006. Further increases are planned for the coming year.
In 2005 Special Constables voluntarily put in over 74,000 hours, with many playing an active role in Neighbourhood Policing. An intensive recruitment campaign is now underway to increase the number of Specials from 232 to 265 by March 2007. This is an ambitious target, especially since a number leave each year to become full-time police officers.
It is important that the police force reflects the diverse range of communities it serves so targeted recruitment campaigns are used to address imbal-ances in ethnicity. New initiatives, such as the involvement of communities in the training of recruits, are being developed to increase representation and the understanding of minority ethnic groups.
Hertfordshire Constabulary staffing October 2005-2006
Source: Hertfordshire constabulary Oct 2006
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Area Service Desks
The Constabulary introduced 3 Area Service Desks (ASDs) in 2005 to improve customer service to callers and victims. Each ASD is staffed by a dedicated team who follow up calls made to the police, ensuring that the caller is updated with the result of their query or investigation. The ASDs were set up to address dissatisfaction identified from a failure to see immediate police action taking place or because of a lack of communication concerning the outcome of a call. The ASDs can inform callers of unseen efforts, such as when community teams are identifying trouble-makers and developing longer-term solutions.
Feedback has been very positive, with the public appreciating the follow-up and often offering further information. The service provides other benefits too, as frequently a phone call is sufficient to satisfy a caller, thus saving a valuable resource as a visit by a police officer becomes unnecessary.
Using New Powers
New legislation1 now allows the police to seize any vehicle being driven without insurance or where the driver does not hold an appropriate licence. Leading the way in implementing this new law, Hertfordshire Constabulary seized around 10% of the total number of vehicles in the UK. 2,056 were seized during August 2005 April 2006, of which 1,234 were destroyed ensuring the County becomes a safer place. The remaining 822 were recovered by their owners.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition
ANPR is a new tool also being used in the force's ongoing fight against vehicle-related crime. Fitted to road-policing armed response vehicles and dedicated ANPR intercept teams, the technology links a high-speed camera to a mobile computer containing information held on the Police National Computer.
The camera captures images of passing vehicle number plates and compares them to those on a database of vehicles known to be of interest to the police. If a match is made between the database and image, for example if a stolen, uninsured or untaxed vehicle is detected, an alarm sounds and officers stop and perform a check. The technology is proving to be invaluable and in the period October 2005-6 the ANPR intercept teams have:
- Made 866 arrests
- Seized 1092 vehicles for no insurance and other offences
- Recovered 57 Stolen vehicles
- Recovered property valued up to £960,000
Proceeds of Crime
The Proceeds of Crime Act helped Hertfordshire Constabulary confiscate over £1m worth of criminal assets in 27 cash seizures between October 2005- 2006. This was partly achieved via their awareness campaign 'Take Away Their Smirk' calling upon the public to identify criminals enjoying a lavish lifestyle on the proceeds of crime. Those arrested were typically rogue traders and salespeople offering counterfeit goods preying on the vulnerable and elderly.
Law abiding people can be reassured they won't be targeted by police but if they do have information, for example about a neighbour who is living beyond their obvious means, they can ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
1 Within The Serious Organised Crime Act