This just in from the Hampshire Constabulary, in their own words. Ed
Hampshire Constabulary made an £11 million saving in the last financial year as it prepared for government cuts.
The budgetary underspend was a £4m increase on the previous year and a £9m improvement on 2008/09.
The figures were released as part of the force’s annual performance review, out today.
Crime falling
The figures also show that the number of crimes committed in the last 12 months has fallen by more than six per cent – from 142,152 for 2009/10 to 133,582 for 2010/11. (That’s 8570 fewer victims of crime when compared to 2009/10)
This also means there are significantly fewer victims of crime across the two counties.
Drop in anti-social behaviour
The force has seen a large drop in the number of incidents of anti-social behaviour across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and is well within its target for reducing rowdy and nuisance behaviour including vehicle nuisance and criminal damage.
This reduction is a result of the continued effort of officers across the two counties and local councils have put in to strengthening neighbourhood policing and the dedicated campaign run to reduce anti-social behaviour.
The campaign ran from May to the end of September last year and resulted in significant reductions in all anti-social behaviour categories.
The stats on anti-social behaviour
The year-on-year figures for anti-social behaviour also show a large reduction in incidents. There was a 19 per cent drop in the number of offences of criminal damage (28,573 offences to 24,492), rowdy and nuisance incidents including vehicle nuisance incidents were reduced by just below 15 per cent significantly more than the target set (70,708 incidents to 60,240).
This year’s campaign will run over the summer period.
Figures demonstrate commitment
Chief Constable Alex Marshall said: “The figures demonstrate our commitment to being a high performance low cost force, something we will continue to work on as part of our ongoing bid to save between £40 million and £50 million by 2015.
“Our priorities will not change, we will continue to provide an excellent service, reduce crime, respond to emergencies and target those individuals who commit crime and prey on the vulnerable. Whatever else we do we will continue to do these things.”
Hampshire Constabulary has also focussed attention on dealing with violence against the person, running a campaign from September to January which lead to some significant improvements in process and investigation techniques.
Renewed commitment to local policing
The force has renewed its commitment to local policing and public protection by ensuring that the number of officers and staff working in these areas will be maintained throughout the ongoing restructure
The figures also highlight success in several other areas.
Over the past 12 months, the number of burglaries has fallen by about 6 per cent and serious acquisitive crime overall (including robbery, vehicle crime and burglary) has fallen by about 4 per cent (18,149 offences to 17,392). The number of assaults with less injury has also dropped by about 4 per cent (14,066 offences to 14,709).
One area that has been highlighted as needing some attention is the solving of serious acquisitive crimes (including vehicle crime and domestic burglary). The proportion crimes solved has increased compared to last year (11.86 per cent to 13.49 per cent), but there is still work to be done and this will continue to be a focus in the coming year.
Police Authority working closely with Constabulary
Hampshire Police Authority Chair Jacqui Rayment said: “We have been working closely with the Constabulary to drive up their performance and reduce costs. We set tough targets for the Constabulary and the six per cent reduction in overall crime figures is a tremendous achievement and a credit to the Chief Constable and his team. Local residents and visitors can be confident that crime rates are falling and that Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are even safer places to live, work and visit.”
