Police Authority approves its final policing plan for Lancashire

Lancashire Police Authority has formally approved a crime plan which sets out a series of ambitions to make Lancashire safer over the next 12 months.

Lancashire's Policing Plan 2012-13 reveals the direction the force will take in fighting crime over the next 12 months and reflects the risks and threats to the county as well as those priorities the public has asked the force to tackle during consultation.

This is the last time the Constabulary and Police Authority will produce a joint policing plan for the county. The new Police and Crime Commissioner, who will take up office in November, will be responsible for producing a Police and Crime Plan soon after their arrival - although still influenced by the public and operational need.

'Quality' is a key theme of the Policing Plan 2012-13 and is core to every operational aim, despite the continuing funding challenges. The force has pledged to show "a determination to consistently be the best police force in the country, delivering the best quality policing services".

The Constabulary has outlined the following six policing priorities for the next 12 months; serious and organised crime, protecting vulnerable people, terrorism and violent extremism, road safety, anti-social behaviour and acquisitive crime. Alongside these priorities, the force has drawn up a number of ambitious targets to measure how well it is doing and to help to the Police Authority scrutinise performance.

The Constabulary is facing another challenging year in funding terms but has already made huge progress in its efficiency work, identifying £38m of the £42m it was required to save following a 20% cut in funding from April 2011. This has been possible as a result of restructure and reorganisation across all departments of the Constabulary. Over the next year, the force will continue to work hard to identify the remaining £4million while striving to protect the frontline and maintain performance.

All of the changes made to streamline policing in Lancashire have been taken to minimise the risk of harm to the public and to enable the force to continue to deliver exceptional service and quality to the public. Latest figures show performance has continued to improve despite the economic climate, with overall crime levels falling again for the seventh year running. Offences committed in Lancashire have fallen by an astonishing 32.6% during the past seven years, which represents 49,450 fewer victims. Meanwhile, satisfaction rates have continued to improve and are consistently above 85%, matching that of other similar forces around the country.

Malcolm Doherty, chairman of Lancashire Police Authority, said: "This is the last time that I will have the pleasure of overseeing the Policing Plan for Lancashire and I'm pleased to say that this year, like so many before, continues to demand progress and higher standards to ensure our communities receive the best possible service from their police force.

"Although the financial challenges are not quite over yet, both the force and the Authority continue to press for change and improvement to deliver better value for money for the public and to be there when they need us. This drive to succeed and be the best at what we do continues to bring us national recognition and I am confident that with the very solid foundations we have created, Lancashire will continue to deliver excellent results in the future under the guidance of our first Police and Crime Commissioner."

The full plan can be downloaded at:

http://www.lancspa.gov.uk/files/300312%20Issued%20Version%20for%20web%20site.pdf