Cambridgeshire Chief Constable Nick Dean welcomes Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to headquarters
Cambridgeshire Chief Constable Nick Dean welcomed the Prime Minister to the force’s headquarters as the Government launched its flagship policing policy.
Sir Keir Starmer was joined by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper as they set out their Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.
The guarantee includes several commitments, including 3,000 more officers going into neighbourhood roles next year as part of the ‘Safer Streets’ mission.
For Cambridgeshire, this will mean 30 extra police officers, seven Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and 13 Special Constables.
At about noon yesterday, Mr Dean welcomed the Home Secretary, who was given a presentation about neighbourhood policing in Cambridgeshire.
The Chief then welcomed Sir Keir just after 1pm before a press conference was held, and the politicians mingled with officers, staff, Specials, and community representatives.
Mr Dean said: “I was pleased to welcome the Prime Minister and Home Secretary to Cambridgeshire and delighted they recognised the great work being done by our neighbourhood teams.
“Neighbourhood policing is an essential part of modern policing and critical to our work to improve trust and confidence.
“I am really proud of the neighbourhood policing teams across the county and the work they do, and this has been highlighted throughout many inspections across the force.
“Anything that allows us to invest further in neighbourhood policing is really welcomed.
“We are committed to strengthening our ability to engage with communities, deal with the issues important to them and communicate back on the action we have taken.”
Speaking at the launch, Sir Keir said: “Thank you Chief Constable, and thank you to all of you for being here this afternoon and for stepping up every day to keep our communities safe.
“The Chief Constable has been telling me some of the ways in which you are doing that here in Cambridgeshire, particularly the way you are working with youth workers. I’m really interested to take that and see if that will work elsewhere.
“So what you are doing, day in day out, stepping up, that deserves our thanks - but it deserves more than our thanks, it deserves our support so that you can do the jobs that we are asking you to do and do them well. And that in a sense is what today is all about.”
Darryl Preston, Police and Crime Commissioner for the county, said: “Both the Chief Constable and I have made it clear that we are committed to having a more accessible and visible police service.
“This is achieved by delivering effective neighbourhood policing and providing officers who understand local concerns and act upon them.
“I welcome this additional funding, however, there remains significant pressure on police budgets, which continues to be compounded locally by an unfair funding formula with Cambridgeshire one of the worst funded forces in the country.
“I will continue to work with the Government to ensure the Chief Constable has the resources he needs to effectively keep our communities safe.”
The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee includes:
• A named officer for every neighbourhood from July
• Neighbourhood officers to respond to enquiries on local issues like anti-social behaviour within 72 hours
• Visible patrols in town centres at peak times with 3,000 more officers going into neighbourhood roles next year as part of the Safer Streets mission
• Communities to have a dedicated ASB lead working with residents and businesses to develop tailored action plans
The guarantee also provides the opportunity to further improve neighbourhood policing with a dedicated career pathway for neighbourhood officers and PCSOs.
The focus on town centres complements two current Cambridgeshire initiatives - targeted hotspot policing and the successful south spree offending team, which is set to be replicated in the north.
The additional officers, PCSOs, and Specials will strengthen existing teams and help meet demand from expected population growth.
