Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), Chief
Constable Sara Thornton, said:
“Police forces in the UK are continuing to perform well overall
and the majority were graded good or outstanding across all three
areas of inspection. Victim satisfaction remains high and HMIC
found that our ability to protect vulnerable people and keep them
safe has considerably improved.
“It has become increasingly clear not only that crime is
changing, in its nature and complexity, but that demand on the
police service is varied and wide-ranging.
“Being mentally unwell is not a crime and those experiencing a
health crisis are not criminals. Over the last two years, forces
have reduced the use of cells as a place of safety by nearly
seventy per cent, and by over 80 per cent for children. However,
the best response – both to crime and mental health – will never
be better than preventing harm before it happens. All agencies
must work together to put appropriate resources in place, share
learning and intervene early. Getting this right can be not just
life changing but life saving.
“Chief officers, working with Police and Crime Commissioners, the
Home Office and the National Police Technology Council, have been
making progress over the last year to transform police ICT in
line with the national Policing Vision 2025: an advance
which is recognised by Sir Thomas in his report.
“Developing more consistent standards for technology across
policing is a priority for chiefs and PCCs working together on
the Police Reform Board. We need to ensure that the standards
being developed in technology change programmes, as well as those
that already exist, are brought together in a coordinated way. A
legal agreement, such as we have for the National Police Air
Service, could support this work.”
ENDS
The national Policing Vision 2025 is available here:
http://www.npcc.police.uk/documents/Policing%20Vision.pdf
For more information on police reform visit:
http://www.npcc.police.uk/NPCCBusinessAreas/Default.aspx
