Chief Constable Simon Byrne has made a promise that all victims of crime in Cheshire will receive police attendance.
Following a recent report by the HMIC (Her Majesty′s Inspectorate of Constabulary), which explored how police forces in England and Wales respond to calls from members of the public, Chief Constable Simon Byrne took to social media to tweet "@CheshirePolice to visit every victim of crime #WeComeToYou".
Cheshire Constabulary launched its new Public Assistance Service Standard (PASS) Policy on August 1st, which governs how they respond to public calls for assistance. This provides the guidance for call takers and response officers on what is an emergency and how to respond.
The response time to an incident is based on the call takers assessment of the risk, threat and harm posed by the incident or crime at the time of reporting. A 'graded response′ is created which indicates if something is a true emergency which needs a 999 'blue light′ response or an incident that does not need the police to attend within 15 minutes.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Roberts said, "The PASS Policy ensures that as an organisation we provide fair access to our service, one which is both timely and convenient for members of the public.
"The new policy makes a strong commitment to respond to all emergencies within 15 minutes and as a result we are getting to people faster when they really need us. The improvements are about us working more effectively from the moment a member of the public calls, until the officer arrives. It is about intelligently understanding our demand and organising ourselves to meet it in the most efficient way possible. By continuing to do this we will continue to improve."
Cheshire Constabulary has also introduced scheduled appointments for non-emergencies, where people need them.
ACC Roberts added "The system for appointments is working well. Over the last month we have arranged 338 appointments with members of public that may not have been visited previously, and early indications are that the public are happy with the better quality of service being provided."
"The use of appointments is not only convenient for the victim of a particular crime, but for Cheshire generally. It means that victims know when to expect a visit, and officers are freed up to attend other calls that require a more urgent response.
"It′s really important that the public of Cheshire know that if they want or need to see a police officer we will endeavour to be there for them when they need us and where they needs us."
