This plan does not stand in isolation and works in combination with a range of other national and local programmes and priorities.
National priorities
Strategic Policing Requirement
As well as the priorities set locally, all police forces are required to demonstrate that they have the plans and capabilities to respond to six national security threats set by the Home Secretary.
This is called the Strategic Policing Requirement (SPR), which identifies the current threats as follows:
- Public disorder
- Civil emergencies
- Serious and organised crime
- Terrorism
- National cyber security incidents
- Child sexual abuse.
These threats have been assessed and selected from the National Security Risk Assessment on the basis that they either affect multiple police force areas or may require action from multiple forces, resulting in a national response.
I will ensure that sufficient funding is made available to maintain Warwickshire Police’s contribution to the SPR and I will hold the Chief Constable to account in responding to these national challenges. I will also work with the other Police and Crime Commissioners in the West Midlands to ensure that where regional capabilities are required to meet the SPR, these are fully in place.
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services will also continue to assess Warwickshire Police’s capacity and capability to respond to each of the identified threats.
Policing Vision 2025
The Policing Vision 2025 sets out the future for policing and will shape decisions about how police force areas use their resources to keep people safe and provide an effective, accessible and value for money service that can be trusted. It has been developed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, in consultation with The College of Policing, National Crime Agency, staff associations and other policing and community partners. All Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales have signed up to the Vision.
Beating Crime Plan
The Government’s Beating Crime Plan represents a commitment from the very top to tackle crime and ensure everyone has the security and confidence that comes from having a safe street and a safe home. I will work with the police and local partners to deliver on the government’s ambitions, which align squarely with the priorities you want to see delivered here in Warwickshire.
Other national strategies
There are a range of other national strategies which this plan has been designed to complement. They include the National Policing Digital Strategy 2020/30, which outlines how digital can transform key dimensions of the police’s operational activity and other plans which set out how policing and other agencies will tackle issues such as violent crime, violence against women and girls and the policing sector’s response to the climate emergency.
Local priorities
Effective partnership working is vital to achieving the objectives set out in this plan. Working together to achieve a safer Warwickshire is vital, not only to ensure pressures on resources can be alleviated but also to maximise the effectiveness of combined activities. I remain fully committed to working in partnership with Warwickshire County Council and Community Safety Partnerships to achieve this. For this reason, the plan will work alongside the Community Safety Agreement to demonstrate the firm commitment we share to address the priorities and objectives you have told us are most important.
Equally, this plan must help to direct the force’s strategic direction and the further development of the Warwickshire Police Fit for the Future 2020-25 programme.
Similarly, the plan also takes into account developments in the criminal justice arena and will complement the strategic plans of the Local Criminal Justice Board.
Equality and diversity
As Commissioner, I have a statutory duty to hold the Chief Constable to account on the delivery of public equality duties, as described in the Equality Act 2010. The legislation legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society. It also means that public bodies have to consider all individuals when carrying out their day-to-day work – in shaping policy, in delivering services and in relation to their own employees.
In fulfilling these duties, I want to ensure that the police and other criminal justice agencies work to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations among all communities as they deliver their work.
Within policing, the recruitment of extra officers provides the opportunity to ensure that the makeup of the workforce is truly representative of the many diverse communities who live and work in Warwickshire. Through a strong Positive Action programme, I want to encourage more people from communities and backgrounds who are less represented currently to consider joining Warwickshire Police in any of the many roles available. The programme will also help to develop and encourage people to stay and progress within the organisation and help find future leaders.
There remain disparities which draw particular concerns from the public and it is important to ensure there is independent scrutiny of these areas to help build trust and confidence. Use of force and stop and search powers by the police are two such examples where, when used proportionately and with sufficient grounds to justify their use, can be effective in tackling criminal activity. They do however remain deeply divisive, particularly among Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals who feature disproportionately in the statistics. I will work to ensure there is proper independent scrutiny in place, with detailed analysis undertaken to understand the disparities in the use of these powers. Where these exist without explanation, I will hold the police to account in reducing them.
Across the wider criminal justice system there is concern about racial disparity, as highlighted by the Lammy Review of 2017. Through the Local Criminal Justice Board I will monitor how well local agencies are working to address racial disparity. It is essential that the disparities in the treatment of and outcomes for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people are understood and firm action taken to eliminate them. Only then can the public have full confidence in a justice system that is fair, open and accessible to all.
I must also ensure that the services I commission either jointly with partners or independently as an office are accessible to all. My commissioning principles will include undertaking needs assessments for services to ensure they are inclusive and that any barriers to access are identified and removed.
