Cuts, cuts, cuts

Wednesday's big announcement about public spending cuts in the end had been so well trailed that there were few suprises. It's still not that clear exactly what the real cash reduction will be for policing but we still think we can achieve the cuts and protect our local front line services by reducing costs in many, probably all, of our back room and headquarters functions. That includes working more closely with other police forces but merging is not on the agenda. We'll be cutting out waste and reducing bureaucracy but that only takes us so far and you can't cut by these amounts without losing significant numbers of people and, therefore, doing less in some functions but we will protect local policing as much as we can.

The reaction in France to just one issue there, (increasing retirement age) is pretty 'high octane' . What might happen here I wonder. What do you think? Was the farmer's protest at Nursling this week an indication of more unrest to come? How strong are feelings in the City about the implications of the cuts? If one concern already expressed is cuts in policing then what an irony if we end up policing situations of unrest or disorder arising from people's reaction to the public sector cuts. But if it happens then that's our job 'without fear or favour' and it wouldn’t be the first or last time we might be policing events where our staff doing the policing have various personal views about any particular campaign or issue. The animal experimentation or export protests, road building (remember M3 extension) and going back even further what about the miner's dispute or Stonehenge events of 25 years ago. Don't forget the people behind the uniform and behind the scenes. Mums, dads, people with personal and family worries about what they, and we all, are going through.

I wonder how we shall look back on this time. I don’t minimise the impact on individuals and communities but I also look at the City and how it is already building for the future so it is ready for and is pushing the economic growth which is already happening and which must, and I think will, continue. One of the best ways to reduce crime (by the way its down another 8% this year) is to get as many people as possible in work, young people in effective education or training and achieve for people improving health and housing. On that basis I hope we tackle the current austerity head on and get through it as fast as we can by taking tough decisions now in order to get to a better place sooner (and I don't mean a place down the motorway or up the train track!).

Welcome to the City - but please behave well!

It's a good thing those people whose names appear on the cenotaph memorial couldn't see how at least one person abused that site recently by using it as an impromptu toilet. Readers comments showed the strength of feeling amongst residents of the city which I share. Let's not make pariahs of all students though. I bet the majority of them abhor drunken stupidity and criminality in the same way most of us do. It's obvious that entering student life , maybe away from home for the first time, old enough to drink legally in pubs and clubs and with a new grant in the bank means some students make mistakes. I don’t excuse that but I can understand it. I also wouldn't excuse any organisation which provided an opportunity for students to take more risks than is sensible, that includes pubs and clubs that might do so. I think an arranged introduction to the City so that students are escorted around venues is a good idea. But the way that is organised must not give an impression to those students that it’s just a safer way to drink to excess in the knowledge or hope that someone on behalf of the promoter of the event will pick up the pieces of your drunken antics and make sure at the end you are not at too much risk. I've met with the promoter of the Southampton based events and I was pleased to hear about the plans to reduce the chance of future problems. I remain to be reassured by the reality of the next student 'Carnage' event. For me the name says it all.
How we treat our city centre goes well beyond reducing student antics though. Guildhall Square is really coming together now. I think it's a great new space and it is the next section in the whole development plan down through the city centre. I hope the new spaces will attract new people and new uses. The environment does have an impact on how people behave but we can't rely on that.
The City's new police station is also nearing completion and this week, with the contractors Kier and Business Southampton, we hosted a visit for business champions in the City. They were all impressed with the new building and I think we shared some pride in this addition to the Southampton skyline. I asked them to go further though and show their commitment to a safer city by working with their local police to build new relationships. One particular way to do that is for them to encourage volunteering amongst their staff. That could be as a special constable in uniform or working behind the scenes with us as a volunteer. If that interests you or you think your company could do more then have a look on our website for more info. http://www.hampshire.police.uk/Internet/jobs/
The City is about it’s people, all of us, including those who sometimes make mistakes on a night out.