Essex Police 'Blueprint' - Next Steps

The public of Essex rightly expects its police service to adapt to the demands it faces particularly in light of financial constraints and ever-changing operational challenges.

As part of this the force is working on fine-tuning its existing policing model to enhance local policing services following consultation with officers and staff, partners and the public we serve.

Great care has gone into shaping these plans but inevitably these will be scrutinised to ensure they are effective and making an impact to reduce crime and keep people safe. 

Assistant Chief Constable Maurice Mason said: “Like any highly professional organisation working in a fast moving environment, our detailed working practices will constantly evolve to reflect best policing practice.  Indeed, it is imperative that the force continues to monitor and review our performance and make informed changes to enhance further the service we provide to the people of Essex.

“As part of this process, Essex Police will be creating Neighbourhood Crime Teams (NCTs) across the county.  During the next few months, we will be moving teams of officers who currently investigate lower level, primarily local, crime, to work alongside Neighbourhood Policing officers in the new NCTs.   This amalgamation will enhance the ability of locally based officers to investigate and reduce crime and Anti-Social Behaviour.  The NCTs will be supported by specially trained police officers and PCSOs to tackle ongoing local community issues.   

“NCT officers will continue to seek to prevent crime and Anti-Social Behaviour through a variety of means, including visible patrolling and working closely with our partner agencies and members of the community.   NCT officers will be both investigators and community champions.  To ensure that NCT officers can continue to be visible in their neighbourhoods, Essex Police is also creating small teams of Prisoner Processing officers who will be dedicated to progressing investigations and handling suspects through the police custody process.

“By December 2011, Essex Police had reduced the number of police officer posts by 187 and the number of police staff posts (including PCSOs) by 484 across the organisation.  Some of the work historically undertaken by police staff was directly involved in the progress of investigations, and this work is now shared between the remaining staff and officers.  The budget cuts faced by forces across the country are unprecedented, and reductions in officer and staff numbers can never be ‘pain free’.  However, Essex Police continues to monitor and review every aspect of our organisational processes with a view to delivering the most efficient and effective performance possible.

“One of the key changes introduced in the Blueprint was the concept of borderless policing, and this will continue.  The Force Control Room will continue to risk assess incidents and allocate the nearest available and appropriate police resource to respond.  This is the true meaning of borderless policing.  In March 2012, three Local Policing Areas (LPAs) were created, and senior officers in each of these LPAs will continue to manage and drive our response to crime and Anti-Social Behaviour. 

“As part of borderless policing, Response and Patrol officers begin and end their shift duty at a particular ‘hub’ station.  However, once they are on duty, these officers will spend most of their time on the road responding to incidents as they occur, and as directed by the Force Control Room.  Essex Police continues to monitor the number and location of these starting ‘hub’ locations, and will refine the number of officers and units deploying from each ‘hub’ to meet demand across the county.   At this time, no decision has been made as to the introduction of new ‘hubs’ in particular locations, but it may well be that to enhance operational efficiency some Response and Patrol officers may begin their period of duty at additional ‘hub’ stations in the near future.  Essex Police will always ensure that officers are available to respond to incidents in both urban and rural parts of the county, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

“All these changes, and many more which will inevitably happen in the next months and years, represent the development and evolution of our policing Blueprint.  None of these changes can be described as ‘returning to the past’.  Essex Police will continue to move forward, constantly developing and refining the policing service to ensure that we keep our communities as safe as possible.”