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FIFE CONSTABULARY RELEASE ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2009/10
Archived news: published on Thursday 15 Jul 2010 by Fife Constabulary
Chief Constable Norma Graham and Convener of the Police, Fire & Safety Committee George Kay
Fife Constabulary today published its 2009/10 annual report reflecting on the exceptional performance that has contributed to another successful year for the Force.
The Force has reported on the significant achievements that have resulted in the Kingdom being the safest it has been for over a decade. Key accomplishments include a further 12.3% reduction in recorded crime and improved performance across a range of areas including record drug seizures and reductions in crimes of anti-social behaviour.
Presenting the report, Chief Constable Norma Graham recognised the significant efforts of all who had contributed to the Force's success.
"It is clear that the impressive performance realised throughout this year would not have been achieved without the commitment of our staff, partners, the public, and the continued support of the Police Fire and Safety Committee. Our combined efforts have resulted in real reductions in the number of victims in Fife."
These achievements in the last year were endorsed by Councillor George Kay, Chair of the Police, Fire and Safety Committee who said: "Fife Constabulary continues to be one of the best performing Forces in Scotland, where better engagement with the public and a clear targeting of the areas that concern local residents the most, have resulted in some exceptional performance such as a large decrease in crimes of violence and anti-social behaviour over the last year.
“I look forward to continuing my role as Chair of the Police Fire and Safety Committee and working closely with the Force to build upon this success and improve services even further in the future."
The Annual Report details performance against the four pillars of the Policing Plan, Tackling Crime, Being There for the Community, Safer Neighbourhoods and Building on Success. These policing priorities are at the core of everything the Force does.
Key achievements for the Force in 2009/10 included:
· A 12.3% reduction in recorded crime that equates to 2970 fewer victims of crime in Fife over the period. This achievement builds on previous successes, which has seen a cumulative drop in recorded crime by a third in the last three years.
· A reduction in the harm caused by illegal drugs with a record £3.5 million worth of drugs seizures last year.
· Targeted work on violent crimes, which has resulted in a 33% reduction in violent offences to their lowest level in a decade.
· A rise in reports of sexual offences is a consequence of a more victim centred focus and increased public confidence in the reporting of such crimes.
· Proactive policing initiatives which realised a reduction in recorded crimes of anti-social behaviour by 13.4% and particularly crimes of vandalism, which reached their lowest level for 5 years, representing a 44% reduction in these crimes during that period.
· Effective enforcement, educational and engineering approaches to road safety that saw the number of people killed on Fife's roads reduced to its lowest level in 10 years and there were no children killed on roads over the period.
· Rollout of the Community Engagement Model across the whole of Fife enabled staff to listen and better understand local concerns and has allowed better partnership working to identify, prioritise and address the issues that affect communities the most.
· Operation LASER (Local Action Supporting Enforcement and Reassurance) was introduced to support the delivery of policing services with more officers released to frontline activities in providing a more visible, accessible and reassuring presence.
· The active review of business practices realised £2.9 million in efficiency savings which have been re-invested back into frontline services.
Looking forward to the 2010/11 year, Chief Constable Norma Graham, said:
"Our approach to community engagement and the introduction of responsive initiatives such as Operation LASER ensure that moving forward the Force is even better placed to deliver its policing priorities and provide a high quality of service to the people of Fife.
“We will move into the next year committed to meeting public expectations by continuing to listen, understand and respond effectively to local concerns and in doing so take policing closer to the community."
