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-
KENT Police Authority chair- man Ann Barnes has hit back at claims that forces have few sav- ings to show for their collabora- tion work. “Together with Essex we’ve identified over £11m,” she said. Kent and Essex have a num-
ber of joint working initiatives under way, including one of the biggest specialist crime direc- torates outside of the Met;
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.
Chairman - Essex saves us money
shared marine and helicopter services; one of the first joint IT departments; and a joint pro- curement service. Transport and shared support services are next in the pipeline. Mrs Barnes was reacting
to comments by Nick Gargan, chief executive of the National Policing Improvement Agency, that forces had not realised their potential for savings.
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.
Alan is new deputy chief
KENT Police have a new Deputy Chief Constable, Alan Pughs- ley (45). His predecessor Adrian Leppard has been appointed Police Commissioner for 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 Constable. He has been heavily involved in the Kent and Essex collabo-
ration 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.
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