Les Bonner

New television, radio, press and online adverts which tell the public what rights they have under the national Policing Pledge was launched on November 21, by Home Secretary Alan Johnson.

The Policing Pledge is just one part of the Policing Green Paper, published last summer, which signalled a fundamental shift in police accountability and reporting. All 43 police forces have signed up to the Pledge which sets out a range of promises about what the public can expect from the police.

The Pledge entitles you to:

• A clear set of commitments from the police about their service
• A local Pledge about how your neighbourhood will be policed
• Contact details for your neighbourhood policing team
• Monthly public meetings with your local police team to agree what matters most
• Access to information on local crimes including crime maps and feedback on what action has been taken in your area.

In 60 Neighbourhood Crime and Justice Pioneer Areas of which North East Lincolnshire is included, a leaflet will be delivered to every household. The leaflet outlines the public’s rights on crime and justice and provides local contacts for police, anti-social behaviour coordinators, victim and witness services and how to nominate Community Payback projects as well as what their role might be, and how to complain.

The adverts focus on two of the promises within the Pledge - that your Neighbourhood Policing Team spend 80 percent of their time visibly working in your neighbourhood and that you can make an appointment to see your local police at a time that suits you within 48 hours about non-emergency problems.

The adverts were launched as new polling published today shows that:

• over 50% of the public think they would have to wait more than 48 hours for an appointment with a police officer to discuss a non emergency matter
• only 3% of people think that their local police spend more than 75 percent of their time on the beat in their area
• 81% of people said they would find it useful to receive information which provided the contact details for the local police and other crime and antisocial behaviour services in their area.
• 77 % of those interested said that the most useful way to receive such information would be as a leaflet through the door.

The adverts will be coupled with a leaflet drop to just over 6 million households in 60 areas across the country to provide them with information about anti-social behaviour services, who to contact and how to complain if services aren’t providing what they should, as well as informing them about the Pledge.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said:

“The Policing Pledge sets out the standards the public can expect from their local force. We need to tell the public about these commitments – that neighbourhood police are pledging to spend 80 percent of their time on the beat, that people can make an appointment to meet their local police team at a time that’s convenient to the citizen.  By letting people know about these standards of service that all police forces have signed up to, we hope that people will have greater confidence to come forward to report crime and give evidence against criminals in court; because they’ll know that the police are a visible presence locally, available to be on their side.