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UK Policing Green Paper Clears Public Expectations

Source: Home Office
Posted on: 22nd November 2009

New television, radio, press and online adverts which tell the public what rights they have under the national Policing Pledge were launched today by Home Secretary Alan Johnson.

The Policing Pledge is just one part of the Policing Green Paper, published last summer, which signalled a fundamental shift in police accountability and reporting. All 43 police forces have signed up to the Pledge which sets out a range of promises about what the public can expect from the police.

The adverts focus on two of the promises within the Pledge – that your Neighbourhood Policing Team spend 80 percent of their time visibly working in your neighbourhood and that you can make an appointment to see your local police at a time that suits you within 48 hours about non-emergency problems.

The adverts were launched as new polling published today shows that:

• over half of the public think they would have to wait more than 48 hours for an appointment with a police officer to discuss a non emergency matter;

• only three percent of people think that their local police spend more than 75 percent of their time on the beat in their area;

• 81 percent of people said they would find it useful to receive information which provided the contact details for the local police and other crime and antisocial behaviour services in their area; and

• 77 percent of those interested said that the most useful way to receive such information would be as a leaflet through the door.

The adverts will be coupled with a leaflet drop to more than 6 million households in 60 areas across the country to provide them with information about anti-social behaviour services, who to contact and how to complain if services aren’t providing what they should, as well as informing them about the Pledge.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said:
“The Policing Pledge sets out the standards the public can expect from their local force. We need to tell the public about these commitments – that neighbourhood police are pledging to spend 80 percent of their time on the beat, that people can make an appointment to meet their local police team at a time that’s convenient to the citizen. By letting people know about these standards of service that all police forces have signed up to, we hope that people will have greater confidence to come forward to report crime and give evidence against criminals in court; because they’ll know that the police are a visible presence locally, available to be on their side.

“Part of this campaign is also about making it easier for the public to know what their rights are if they are suffering from anti-social behaviour so they don’t end up being passed from pillar to post. It also tells them about what service they should receive if they are a victim and who to contact to ensure their voice is heard.”

The campaign also promotes a newly developed crime and justice area of the direct.gov website – www.direct.gov.uk/policingpledge – as a key way for people to access information about police, crime, justice and anti-social behaviour services, including the details of their local neighbourhood policing team, crime maps, how to nominate areas to be cleaned up by offenders undertaking Community Payback and services for victims and witnesses. For the first time this information will be in one place and accessed simply by entering a postcode.

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