Frontline policing ‘will beat the cuts’
KENT Police will have 500 fewer officers – and 1,000 fewer support staff – by 2015, but the force’s top brass claim there will be positive outcomes. The Government’s comprehen-
sive spending review means Kent has to cut 20% – £53m – over the next four years. A major restructuring, en- dorsed by the county police au- thority, involves reducing the current six policing areas to just three, West Kent, East Kent, and North Kent and Medway. Maidstone, which used to be a
major part of the Mid-Kent area including Sheppey, will be in the new West Kent area, which will also include Tonbridge, Tun- bridgeWells, Sevenoaks and Swanley. The process of making hundreds of posts redundant has begun. But there are plans to increase by half the number of neighbour- hood officers. Chief Con Ian Learmonth said: “I am de-
We do save money working with
Essex – chairman KENT Police Authority chairman Ann Barnes has hit back at claims that forces have few savings to show for their collaboration work. “Together with Essex we’ve identified over £11m,” she said. Kent and Essex have a number
of joint working initiatives under way, including one of the biggest specialist crime directorates out- side of the Met; shared marine and helicopter services; one of the first joint IT departments; and a joint procurement service. Transport and shared support services are next in the pipeline. Mrs Barnes was reacting to com-
ments by Nick Gargan, chief exec- utive of the National Policing Improvement Agency, that forces had not realised their potential for savings. She added: “Kent and Essex
have been ground-breaking in their approach since 2007.”
termined that front-line policing is priori- tised as part of our restructuring plans. “The police authority has endorsed a new model that will see 50% more officers for neighbourhood policing. “This will provide a quicker and more effi- cient response to per- sistent
policing
Chief Con Ian Learmonth: “determined”
problems, helping us get it right first time, working with local people to ensure crime and disorder are effec- tively tackled.” Ann Barnes chairs
“I have every faith in our Chief Constable.
Police Authority chairman Ann Barnes: “happy”
the authority, which set a budget of £288m and froze the amount paid for police serv- ices by Kent council taxpayers. She added: “It’s early days for our new
policing model but the authority is very happy to endorse the new set-up.
A FREEZE on recruitment, following a 20% cut in funding, means that Kent Police has held its last intake of officers for some time. The force is set to lose about a fifth of its offi-
cers and support staff as it has to reduce spending by £53m over the next four years. Ann Barnes, chairman of Kent Police Author-
ity, said: “I’m very sad indeed that we are now turning off the tap on new recruits, but we have to save money. “The calibre of the individuals I have met at
passing-out parades is ex- tremely high and it’s fantastic to see their enthusiasm. So it’s a real shame to see an end to this, especially at a time when a fifthof young people are out of work and there are fewer job opportunities.” The parade celebrates new recruits passing their exams and becoming fully-fledged po- lice officers. The last intake saw 25 new officers pass through, as part of a two-year training course. They have completed their theory and now go out to
Charities get boost from police fund
SEVERAL charities fromthe Maidstone area have received a welcome financial boost from Kent Po- lice.
Area Commander, Chief Supt Matthew Nix, pre- sented cheques totalling £4,700 to organisations from across Mid Kent. The money comes from the Police Property Fund, which raises cash from the auction of recovered property, if the owners can- not be traced. Charities to benefit include: Maidstone Mediation - £300 Members provide a valuable contribution to making the community of Maidstone a safer place. They work with schools in the borough to deliver mediation and train pupils to become teen mediators. Westree Boxing Club, Parkwood - £500 This club has been running since 1960. It has
more than 50 members aged 10 to 30 who attend shows around the South East. Maidstone Street Pastors - £500 They work every Saturday night and one Friday
night a month in Maidstone and are hoping to re- cruit more street pastors to cover every Friday night. They provide assistance in the town centre and would use the contribution to buy consum-
14 East
ables e.g. flip flops, tissues and blankets and also recruitment and training. The Heart of Kent Hospice, Aylesford - £500 It cares for people who have been diagnosed
with a terminal illness. Specialist palliative care ensures patients have a full a life as possible while dealing with the symptoms. The care they offer is free and last year the hospice helped more than 600 patients and their families. Ringlestone Community Association, Maid-
stone - £500 This association uses one small hall on an es-
tate that has no other resources. The hall, which is leased, is used to run weekly toddler groups and various groups use the hall for line dancing, bingo, quiz nights and drama groups. Hi Kent, Maidstone - £500 This small local charity has been established
since 1986, serving the deaf and hard of hearing in Maidstone and the surrounding areas. It pro- vides services to elderly people who have NHS hearing aids, by running special aftercare clinics where clients can get their hearing aids cleaned, re-tubed and obtain new batteries, all free of charge.
Alan is the new deputy chief
KENT Police have a new Deputy Chief Constable, Alan Pughsley (45). His predecessor Adrian Leppard has been appointed Po- lice Commissioner for the City of London. DCC Pughsley’s position is temporary, until spring, when a permanent appointment will be made. He joined the force in 2009 as an Assistant Chief Con- stable. He has been heavily involved
in the Kent and Essex collabora- tion project. He has helped to create one of the largest joint crime units in the UK called the Serious Crime Directorate. The unit is made up of five
new teams focusing on murders, rape and kidnapping, as well as drug dealers and burglars, on both sides of the Thames estu- ary.
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This isn’t new for him as he has already been through a restructure in Nor- folk, and successfully saved money and improved performance. “I’m especially pleased that neighbourhood policing will be the bedrock of the new model. Given the financial challenges, now is a good time to take a step back and take a real hard look at how we do business. This isn’t a knee-jerk re- action to save money but will mean we can continue to ensure a quality policing service in Kent despite the challenges ahead.” Mrs Barnes said one aspect of the
new policing model is a “border- less response”, allowing the near-
est response officer to attend an emergency call, even if that call comes under a differ- ent policing area. It will also potentially allow for more officers to be moved into uniformed street patrol duties on the front- line, she added.
Big freeze means no more recruits
policing areas to start their patrol training. Mrs Barnes also said it was the wrong time
for the Government to be spending millions of pounds on changing accountability and governance arrangements. “I believe strongly that we should be spend-
ing public money on putting more officers on the streets and bringing new life blood into the force, with new recruits like the excellent officers I had the joy to see.”
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