News

Warwickshire Police Authority has agreed to revise force detection targets to ensure officers are not wasting time and resources on achieving detections that give no benefits to reducing harm.

At the full Police Authority meeting members agreed with a recommendation from the Chief Constable that the force should focus on detecting the most serious violent crime, serious acquisitive crime (burglary, robbery and car crime) and criminal damage.

The new priority of detecting 45 per cent of the most serious violence means the force will be challenging itself even harder on tackling the most serious harm causing offences including murder, attempted murder, serious assault or wounding, assault causing injury, causing death by dangerous or drink/drug driving.

The new target will come into place from September 1.

This target will support others which the force is already striving in 2008/09 to achieve including detecting 35 per cent of serious sexual offences and identifying and charging 15 of the highest harm causers from Organised Crime Groups.

Deputy Chief Constable Andy Parker said: "One of our immediate priorities is targeting our efforts to deliver protection where it is most needed. That's about balancing response policing and high visibility patrols with a clear focus on arresting and bringing to justice those who are causing most harm and disrupting their harm causing activities.

"The revised targets will enable us to use our discretion and good judgement in the way we investigate crime. All incidents will be recorded in line with national crime recording standards but the effort we invest in dealing with crime will be consistent with the harm or risk of harm it poses.

"I can reassure the public that in Warwickshire protecting our communities is not about chasing ?easy' detections for the sake of meeting targets. We want to arrest and bring to justice those individuals who cause the most harm in our communities."

"The new target of detecting 45 per cent of the most serious violence is a challenging one but it is entirely consistent with our commitment to protect people from death and injury. We must reduce the number of people who are harmed or injured on our roads and in our communities if we are serious about delivering improved protection."

Phil Blundell, Chair of the Police Authority, said: "The Authority fully supports this strategy of focussing upon those who cause serious harm to communities and individuals. This is much more important than securing detections where no harm is involved.

"I believe this move will encourage officers to target their efforts in dealing with crime and that over the coming months we will see the benefit of this approach as the force strives to achieve the high targets we expect."