Too sad for words

The funeral for our colleague Sarah last Thursday was an extraordinary event. Too sad for many words but those from sarah read by the priest were extraordinary and very moving for everyone there. So many officers lined up in solemn, silent, sadness saying goodbye to a wonderful colleague. It was quite something to see and to be part of. As I walked back to the car afterwards I passed a group of kids on bikes just hanging out on the street. I wasn't very much in the mood to chat when they asked me "Why so many police around?". Half expecting a dismissive or disrespectful response I was caught out when their response to my explanation was "Hope she rests in peace". Enough said.

On we go this week with policing in the City. We've seen some more good arrests in line with our commitment to reduce burglary and catch burglars.

We continue to push on reducing the number of people we suspect of crimes but haven't yet arrested. People suspected of crimes should be held to account for or cleared of those crimes asap. As long as it doesn't compromise professionalism or fairness then I do favour dealing with these things quickly. Slow justice is no justice especially for victims.

We've seen a slight increase in the levels of satisfaction people feel about the service we give. That's good too and must remain at the core of what we do. Whatever the challenges we face we musn't lose people's confidence in us and their satisfaction in how we treat them. After all this job will always be about people, criminals we catch, victims we support and colleagues we work with.

Just 2 more weeks for me as the local Police Commander before I hand over to Dave Thomas so this isn't a goodbye to Southampton message quite yet! Full council did me the honour of recognising my leaving last week. I'm not one for pomp and circumstance but it was touching to receive the thanks of the Mayor and all the city councillors.

Police Pay and Conditions

A double hit this week with reports on police pay and conditions and public sector pensions. Several of the posts on websites are critical of police for the supposed extravagant allowances and other bits of extra pay it is suggested officers get. Like many in the service I do think there are elements to our pay and conditions which are anachronistic or otherwise due for updating. However, there is also a lot of misinformation and mischievous reporting. For example the point about officers being able to claim overtime for a brief phone call when off duty. That may be true but I don’t know anyone who has claimed that allowance and many probably don’t even know about it. That's part of the problem. The current arrangements have been developed over a very long period but through rather piece-meal and sometimes poorly planned changes often driven by different political, public and financial pressures. That means the regulations and conditions are complex, poorly understood and inconsistently followed. Truth is there is probably lots more that could be claimed by individuals but which isn't. Did you see the comment that we should publish details about when senior officers use first class travel? I know several colleagues who wouldn't dream of taking 1st class travel even if they are entitled to it. That sort of issue may attract media attention but it's not really what this debate needs to be about.

I hope this time the changes are more coherent and can be seen to be fair to officers and staff. Fairness for me means that we still recognise the special nature of the office of constable and the special role police officers and many police staff fulfil. That doesn’t mean unjustified protectionist measures, nor 'favouratist' treatment in comparison to plenty of other public servants during this time of austerity. This is a time to be bold about how the whole country gets itself out of the current financial mess and policing has a part to play in that. Of course that part may also be one which has to keep communities safe in the face of growing public unease and maybe demonstration about some of the changes being considered and implemented.

There will be great strength of feeling about some of the proposals and I can understand why. What I don’t want to see is that concern being fuelled by misinformation or politically motivated rhetoric. It worries me that we might see a wedge being driven between police and public and even between different elements within the police. The arrival of elected police commissioners in April 2012 adds another element into the mix. When the country faces general uncertainty and individual worry then it's not a time to have a police service which is collectively and individually demotivated. There's no reason for that to happen if we can avoid the distraction of ill-informed comment and we keep together as a service and keep together with the public and the communities we serve now and will continue to serve to the best of our ability.

New station open to public - and ready for detainees!

Well we're in the new station at last. All the talk is over, all the hard work to plan and build it is done and we are moving in and opening to the public on 7th March. I noticed in the Echo an article about the developer's profits and some of the discussion comments about the buildings they have put up in the city recently, one being the new police station, and what the benefits are to the city. Having met people from the developers, in particular their project manager, and some of the workers on site I can say how impressed I have been with their pride in their work and their sense of commitment to the City of Southampton and it's people. I share that pride and like them the Constabulary will make this major new building an asset for the city and people in the city not just for the Police.
An update on my previous comments about the rise in burglaries in the city. Well we have been working really hard to catch those committing these crimes and we are having considerable success. Every week we are arresting those we suspect are causing such misery to the victims and we will keep at it. The burglary rate is now falling but I don’t want anyone to be complacent. There are still too many times when people are leaving houses insecure and property on show. Please keep alert to suspicious activities and don't hesitate to ring us. We have had some good examples of people doing just that and us then catching suspected burglars. We do need people to be careful and stay alert to what goes on in neighbourhoods.
The Constabulary is going through some major changes over the next few years and under our Chief Constable's leadership we aren't hanging around but we are getting on with planning for a future where we protect front line policing and make everything else as efficient and lean as possible with most of that in place by April 2012. That includes some changes to senior posts now to get ready for 2012 and next month I shall be on the move to work at Police Headquarters whilst I will be succeeded by Ch Supt Dave Thomas. So I wont be doing many more posts here as the Southampton Police Commander and this is a chance to say thanks if you have been reading them and for the comments.