Performance under scrutiny as the Police Authority meets in Walsall
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At its meeting this Thursday, West Midlands Police Authority will be asking the Force why, despite falling crime rates, it has not met key detection targets and what it intends to do to improve the situation. The meeting will be the Authority’s first opportunity to consider performance from the whole of 2009-10, and while there has been excellent progress in reducing crime and increasing the public’s confidence in policing, detection targets for more serious crimes were missed last year.
The Force detected just under a third of all recorded crime – exceeding a 29% target – but missed targets in the following crime types:
· Most serious violence
· Serious sexual offences
· Burglary
· Robbery
· Vehicle crime
The Authority will be quizzing chief officers to understand whether and how the targets will be met this year.
Authority Chair Derek Webley said, “I invite members of the public and press to our meeting to see how we support better policing and hold the Chief Constable to account. We know that the Force has done very well at reducing total crime over recent years, and there have been big falls in serious crimes too. We also know that people are more confident in policing. However, the Force has missed key detection targets, and we will want to know why and what is being done about it. The Authority is charged with securing continuous improvement in policing performance, and detections are an area where we need to focus our attention.”
The meeting at 10 am at Bescot Stadium, is one in a series taking place in venues across the county, and will be open to the public. It gives an opportunity for residents and the media to see the Authority at work, quizzing senior officers and holding the chief constable to account. Also on the agenda will be:
· the Force’s performance against the new HM Inspector of Constabulary “Report Card”.
· an update on Programme Paragon (the Force’s restructuring project).
· a report on the deployment of Police Community Support Officers that announces the introduction of stab vests for PCSOs.
· the latest findings from the force’s “Feeling the Difference” survey.
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