POLICING WITH THE PERSONAL TOUCH
| Published: 18th March 2008 11:25 |
PEOPLE throughout Staffordshire are being urged to get to know their local police officers and PCSOs as a national two-week neighbourhood policing campaign kicks off.
Staffordshire Police has been praised nationally for how it has rolled out local policing, and is gearing up with other forces for 31 March by when every community in England and Wales will have a dedicated neighbourhood policing team in place.
Over the next two weeks, (17-29 March), the force will be joining a national push to promote neighbourhood officers' names, and encouraging residents to check out and make a note of their contact details.
Assistant Chief Constable Douglas Paxton said: "We introduced neighbourhood policing in Staffordshire well over a year ago, and are proud to have been a lead force in guaranteeing named officers in every neighbourhood.
"Crime is falling in Staffordshire and, strong links between the force and its communities, can make us all even safer when it comes to tackling issues such as anti-social behaviour.
"We're really keen for people throughout Staffordshire to get to know their local officers and how to contact them. We want people to be and to feel safer by getting involved.
"We listen to local people, and they're telling us what matters most where they live. We act on that information, by working closely with our communities and partners to deliver real solutions to local issues."
Mike Poulter, chair of Staffordshire Police Authority, added: "Surveys show that some people think crime is much higher than it actually is, and that they feel less safe as a result.
"We want to reassure people that we are bringing crime down, and that Staffordshire is safe. The contribution of neighbourhood policing to that overall picture is huge and vitally important.
"We were among just a handful of forces to be graded ‘excellent' in the national Police Performance Assessments for how we've rolled out neighbourhood policing. We are passionately committed to maintaining a named officer in every neighbourhood."
Over the next two weeks the force's four territorial policing divisions (Trent Valley, Chase, North Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent) will be staging dozens of events at which people will be able to meet and find out the names of their neighbourhood officers and PCSOs.
Staffordshire has 21 neighbourhood policing units (NPUs), each headed by an inspector. The NPUs are split into teams with responsibility for specific local areas, between them comprising 48 sergeants, 251 PCs and 224 PCSOs. The force has more than 2,300 officers in total.
People can get their neighbourhood officer's name, phone and e-mail details by:
- visiting their local police station or phoning the force on 08453 30 20 10
- clicking on the ‘local policing' link on the homepage of the force's website (www.staffordshire.police.uk)
- checking out neighbourhood policing team newsletters and the force's ‘Safer Staffs' newspaper (next edition delivered to homes in June).
Neighbourhood police officers in Lichfield include: Inspector Jon Staite and sergeants Richard Morris and Simon O'Donnell.
Stowe: Pc Dal Dahele, PCSO Lianne Haddock; Leomansley, Pc Mark Lawrence, PCSO Elaine Sneyd; Curborough/Netherstore, Pc Gurnek Manak; PCSO Maggie Griffiths; St John's, Pc Mark Crooke; Boley Park, Pc Jo Mellor, PCSO Jas Gill; Fazeley/Mile Oak, Pc Marc Fortin-Tobin, PCSO Kevin Stackhouse; Chadsmead, Pc Dave Smith, PCSO Katie Page; Whittington, Pc Richard Allsopp; city centre, Pc Nikki Chambers, Pc Karen Lander, PCSO Lisa Pritchard; roving officers: PCSO Brian Harbon, PCSO Lisa Pritchard.
Neighbourhood police officers in Burntwood: Inspector Ashley Farrington and sergeants Phil Hudson, Simon Jones and Tracy Ottey.
Alrewas and Fradley, Pc David Griffiths; Armitage, Handsacre, Ridwares, Pc Alison Lewis, PCSO David Ramm; Burntwood, Pc John Wilkes; Chasetown, Pc Lisa Richardson, PCSO Kirsty Lavender; Chase Terrace, Pc Steve Bristow, PCSO Tracy Horton; Colton, Kings Bromley, Longdon, Pc Andrew Brown.
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