YOUR POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER JONATHAN EVISON

I’m pleased to bring you the latest update from my office on the work we are doing to improve community safety in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire.

There was some very positive news last November when Humberside Police were given an outstanding grading by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary. This is the police equivalent of an Ofsted report in schools which takes months to complete and the inspectors scrutinise every aspect of the force’s operations and how they deal with crime, find and arrest those who commit crime and how they respond to public calls for service and support those impacted by the offence. It was one of the best results achieved by any force in the country and for me, whose job is to hold the police to account on behalf of the public, it’s a sure sign that the improvements put in place by Chief Constable Lee Freeman and his team over recent years and the hard work of all his officers and staff, have made a positive difference and we now have a police force to be proud of.

Building On Success

Of course, not everyone will feel that difference and there are still improvements to be made but Humberside Police has made great strides forward, I was particularly pleased to see the Force Control Room being praised in this report. It is now answering calls more quickly than ever before and the force was the first in the country to offer a call back service for the non-emergency 101 number so that people don’t have to wait on the line during busy periods.

The influx of new police officers continues with more to join in 2023 and also more staff being recruited in the Control Room as call handlers and dispatchers. December saw the largest ever intake of new police officers with 78 student officers taking the oath of constable.

Over the coming months they will complete their training and be on the streets across all areas of our region.

We now have the highest number of police officers for over a decade, that means a better response to your calls, more neighbourhood officers embedded in the community and more deployed into specialist areas of crime. For example we now have a team dedicated to rural crime based in Driffield, more officers dedicated to protecting vulnerable members of society from crime and exploitation, and more officers to deal with serious offences such as domestic abuse, violent crime and sexual offences.

Where Your Money Goes

It’s that time of year when your annual council tax bill is issued and you will see a small increase, equivalent to a few pence per week, in the portion of your Council Tax that helps to fund your police service. We are living through tough times economically and as the person responsible for setting the police budget this is not lost on me. Any increase, no matter how small, is something I take seriously, so my finance team work hard to forecast our budget not just for this year, but for the next five years ahead based on what we expect to happen and what we’d like to happen to benefit our communities, otherwise we would stand still and see no further improvement. As a resident and tax payer myself, I want to know what I’m getting for my money so I asked the Chief Constable to outline what extra service he would commit to if I increased the budget. One important aspect for me was to see neighbourhood police teams based back at police stations which had previously been lost. We have already seen neighbourhood police teams either maintained or re-established in Hull, Beverley, Bridlington, Withernsea, Pocklington, Goole and Hedon. This year will see the return of a 24-hour response team based in Driffield and the programme will continue to expand.

Investing In Your Community

Last year I launched my Community Safety Fund to offer grants to community organisations for local projects that will cut crime and anti-social behaviour and improve feelings of safety. My office received a large number of applications and projects from the first round of applications are now receiving funding. I intend to visit as many projects as I can to see the work that is happening to make our communities safer places. Some of the successful projects in Hull and the East Riding include:

£4,000 for new CCTV to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour at St Margaret’s Play Park in Driffield

£35,000 for the Preston Road Women’s Centre in Hull to support women recovering from domestic abuse.

£29,000 to support women in Bridlington through the Together Women project

£33,000 for Youth engagement projects to be delivered by Hull Beats Bus.

There will be many more to come as we work through the applications from the latest rounds of funding. If you are involved with a community group, non-profit organisation, Town or Parish Council and have an idea or project to cut crime, anti-social behaviour or improve safety where you live, visit the community section of my website to find out more. Grants are available from £500 up to £35,000 and each funding round will be advertised on my website and through My Community Alert so ensure you are registered to receive the latest news.

The number of PCSOs dedicated to communities will be maintained and the roads policing team will be strengthened to tackle dangerous driving, illegal and uninsured drivers and driving that is leading to death and serious injury across the whole region. There will also be more detectives in CID to investigate more crimes and bring offenders to justice.

It is vital that trust and confidence in the police is maintained and improved, you have my assurance that I will continue to monitor progress and report back to you throughout the coming year.

Last year we also received funding from the Home Office to set up the Humber Violence Prevention Partnership with other local agencies to examine the root causes of all forms of violence and deliver projects to prevent it. This work is now starting to gather momentum and you can find out more at www.humbervpp.org

To keep in touch with announcements and the latest news by email, sign up to My Community Alert at www.mycommunityalert.co.uk

For more information visit my website www.humberside-pcc.gov.uk or follow Humberside PCC on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.