NPCC response to State of Policing 2016

Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, 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

HMIC State of Policing 2016 and press release
https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmic/news/news-feed/police-cannot-continue-to-fill-the-gaps-left-by-other-agencies/

The national Policing Vision 2025 is available to read 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