Crime
County remains amongst safest in England
Crime continued to fall in the county in 2008/09 and Hertfordshire ended the year at its lowest level since 2002 making the county one of the safest in England. The number of crimes reduced by over 5% – equating to more than 4,000 fewer victims. Home burglary is a concern however; having been at its lowest level in 2006/07 it has increased in the past year. Hertfordshire Constabulary has an ongoing initiative in place – “Operation Guardian” – to tackle this problem. Encouragingly, distraction burglaries, the victims of which who are most often elderly and vulnerable, have seen a notable decline in the county as offenders are targeted through another force initiative called “Operation Manhunt”.
The constabulary has improved its performance in solving crime and has increased its detection rate to just under 33%. The constabulary is working with partners to constantly target the small number of prolific offenders who commit a disproportionate amount of crime in the county.
Indicator CR1 - Recorded Crime
| Crime1 | 2006/07 | 2007/08 | 2008/09 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total numbers of crime | 91,408 | 80,239 | 76,152 |
| Sanction Detection Rate | 28.7% | 29.6% | 32.9% |
| Home burglaries | 4,298 | 4,538 | 4,969 |
| Serious violent crimes | no data | 361 | 357 |
| Robberies | 985 | 758 | 759 |
| Vehicle crimes | 11,197 | 10,726 | 9,596 |
| NI 16 Serious acquisitive crime | no data | 16,017 | 15,324 |
| NI 32Repeat incidents of domestic violence | 4,354 | 4,187 | 4,986 |
National Indicator 21
‘How much would you agree or disagree that the police and local council are dealing with the antisocial behaviour and crime issues that matter in this area?’
Hertfordshire:
To March 2009 – 53.2%
To June 2009 – 54.6%
England and Wales Average: To March 2009 – 49.0%
| Public Safety and Confidence | 2006/07 | 2007/08 | 2008/09 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of people killed or seriously injured road traffic collisions2 | 555 | 528 | 440 |
| Immediate response incidents attended within 15 minutes | 90.6% | 92.2% | 90.0% |
| 999 calls answered within 10 seconds | 93.0% | 92.7% | 91.7% |
| Non-emergency calls answered within 30 seconds | 84.2% | 89.2% | 86.5% |
| Percentage of People that think anti-social behaviour is a major concern2 | 18.5% (2006) | 14.5% (2007) | 13.8% (2008) |
| User Satisfaction of 999 callers with ease of contact | 96.2 | 93.5% | 94.7% |
| People who think that using or drug dealing is a major concern2 | 28.0% | 24.7% | 22.0% |
| User Satisfaction of 999 callers with their treatment by call handlers | 94.9% | 93.4%% | 95.5% |
| User Satisfaction of non emergency callers with the ease of contact | 91.5% | 90.4% | 90.1% |
| User Satisfaction of 999 callers with their treatment by call handlers | 94.4% | 95.3% | 95.2% |
Police Numbers and Partnerships
Over 700 police officers, Police Community Support Officers, Police Staff and Special Constables in Hertfordshire are working in or with Safer Neighbourhood Teams across the county. They are working closely with partners in local authorities and other agencies at tackling crime and disorder at a local level. A new single confidence measure (NI 21) has been set by the Government to assess the success of this work (see the information box).
The force’s Safer Neighbourhood teams are also key to delivering its commitments under the national Policing Pledge that was recently introduced.
The Policing Pledge
The national Policing Pledge has been adopted by all forces across England and Wales setting out the standards of service people should expect from their local police force.
“The police service in Hertfordshire will support law abiding citizens and pursue criminals relentlessly to keep you and your neighbourhoods safe from harm.”
For details of the full 10 point pledge, visit: www.herts.police.uk/pledge
In Hertfordshire, initiatives to continually improve levels and quality of service have been in place for many years – tied into the development of local Safer Neighbourhood policing. Recently, Hertfordshire was one of only three forces graded as “exceeding national standards” for citizen focussed policing by Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabularies and we have some of the highest satisfaction rates in the country.
Collaboration
Hertfordshire Constabulary has moved ahead with a range of collaboration initiatives with Bedfordshire Police this year to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of the police service it provides to local communities.
Building on the success of the Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, which was set up in November 2007, a range of five further units have been set up to serve the two counties. These have included a joint Dog Unit, Firearms Support Unit and Scientific Services Unit. The larger combined units enable more efficient and more resilient services with extra capacity for each force when required.
The overarching priority of these collaborative initiatives is to protect and enhance the local policing service delivered in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. At a time when all public services are expected to deliver more with less, collaboration also provides a significant opportunity to drive efficiencies and to build operational capacity and capability.
Increase in use of technology
Criminals and illegal drivers have even more reason to keep out of Hertfordshire as the county now has two Operation Sentinel Intercept Teams.
These countywide Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) Intercept Teams target car borne criminals with successful arrests for offences including burglary, robbery, drugs, and possessing offensive weapons as well as seizing unsafe, illegal or uninsured vehicles.
Some facts on ANPR:
- ANPR cameras can read a number plate every second
- ANPR is a crime reduction and investigative tool – it targets criminals who use vehicles
- ANPR has led to the arrest of burglars, robbers and drug dealers, among others
- ANPR targets criminals, not innocent law abiding motorists
ANPR not only reduces crime but can be used to reduce road deaths and serious injuries on the roads by highlighting un-roadworthy vehicles and drivers without insurance, who are also more likely to have been involved in other crimes.
1 Source: Hertfordshire Constabulary. Website: www.herts.police.uk
2 British Crime Survey www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/bcs1.html