COUNTY COUNCIL – 9 OCTOBER 2007

This is the 9th quarterly bulletin from county councillor nominees to the Police Authority. The county councillors are currently Sherma Batson, Michael Colne, Tony Dodd, Bernard Engel, Ian Laidlaw-Dickson (Chairman of the Authority) David Lloyd, Richard Smith and Allan Siao Ming Witherick.

The main issues likely to be of interest to other councillors are:

1. / Future Policing Priorities
The Authority held a Safer Communities seminar/workshop on 16 July 2007, attended by about sixty key stakeholders in the county. Its aim was to start the development process for a joint long-term vision of a Safer Hertfordshire and to inform the planning processes for the new annual rolling three-year Policing Plan, the new annual rolling three-year Community Safety Strategies, the Local Area Agreement 2 and the county’s Sustainable Community Strategy.
The outcomes have been circulated to delegates and other key partners, including the county council, to be considered alongside the Strategic Assessments currently being undertaken by the 10 district and borough councils.
The Police Authority will be using this feedback to inform its draft Policing Plan for 2008-11, which will be presented to Herts Forward in December and sent out to stakeholders for comments.
2. / Collaboration
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Police Authorities have approved the setting up of a joint Major Crime Unit. A grant of £300k has been received from the Home Office to assist with the set up of the new unit, which will be based in Hertfordshire.
Superintendent Andy Shrives, from Hertfordshire, has been appointed as Head of the new Unit, which will be set up from 19 November this year. The project will involve the two teams working together to investigate serious crime in both counties. It will bring significant benefits to Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire and improve the resilience of both forces.
At its meeting on Friday 21 September, the Authority also approved in principle proposals for progressively combining the delivering of a range of IT services in Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire forces over a period of five years, commencing April 2008.
The proposals are now being developed further and are expected to be presented to Bedfordshire and Essex Police Authorities in the near future.
The Authority also agreed to join an Eastern Region Joint Committee to oversee the implementation of the collaboration projects. To date, five of the six authorities have approved the proposals, with Essex expected to consider them in the near future.
Other collaboration initiatives being developed include Scientific Services and Serious and Organised Crime.
3. / Public Access Visibility
Plans to establish a new police station in Solartron House, Hertford are well advanced and it could be an operational early in the New Year.
The Authority has now agreed to take out a 10 year lease on Meade House, Burgage Lane, Ware. This will provide a new Neighbourhood Police Station for Ware and a strong, visible presence in the town.
The exchange of contracts on the existing Hertford and Ware Police Station is expected to take place by the end of September but the station will not close until both the new Hertford and Ware Police Stations are fully operational.
The ‘topping out’ ceremony for the new Hatfield Police Station and Custody Unit takes place on 3 October 2007. Both this and the development of Stevenage Police Station are currently on schedule.
4. / Crime Data Recording
Hertfordshire Constabulary and Police Authority are two of the top performing police authorities and forces in England and Wales on their recording of crime data according to a new report published in September by the Audit Commission and Wales Audit Office.
Police Data Quality 2006/07 examines how well the police record information reported to them by victims and witnesses under the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS). Its findings show that the police are putting crime recording at the heart of their efforts to target their resources where they will have the greatest impact. Hertfordshire was rated “Excellent” for the second year running for the quality of its crime recording.
The report also highlights a Hertfordshire Constabulary operation as an example of National Good Practice. Operation Enigma, in Stevenage used information from the public and partner organisations to drive down anti-social behaviour in the town.
5. / Staffing Update
The Authority has agreed to extend the current Clerking Contract with the County Council for a further year. Its new Chief Executive, Andrew White, starts on 1 October 2007.

Ian Laidlaw-Dickson

Chairman of the Hertfordshire Police AuthorityOctober 2007

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