PCC wants to create 'ring of steel' around Hucknall, Bulwell and rest of Notts as she launches first major crime plan

Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Caroline Henry (Con) has launched her first Police and Crime Plan – which determines how money will be spent on policing up to 2025.

Called ‘Make Notts Safe’ the plan explains which areas of crime will be targeted and how Mrs Henry will measure performance.

Its key aims include reducing the level of violent knife crime across the county by 10 per cent, as well as cutting the number of first-time entrants into the youth justice system by the same amount.

Mrs Henry also wants to increase the proportion of rape offences which result in a charge or summons, and invest in more technology to fight crime.

She said: “It is my vision that by the end of my term in office there will be fewer victims, greater trust and confidence in the police and criminal justice system and a stronger and more resilient network of services supporting victims to recover from harm.

“I am committed to prioritising the issues that we know are causing the greatest harm and concern to our communities – including serious violence, domestic and sexual abuse, substance abuse and neighbourhood priorities such as anti-social behaviour, speeding and rural crime.”

As PCC, Mrs Henry sets the budget for Nottinghamshire Police and lays out its local priorities.

Day-to-day operational control lies with the Chief Constable, Craig Guildford.

Notts Police will receive around £245m this year, which includes an increase in the annual council tax police precept to £9.99 for a Band D property.

Other key aims from Mrs Henry’s plan include:

Increasing safety and feelings of safety across Nottinghamshire – particularly among women and girls.

Making £800,000 available for crime prevention initiatives to increase neighbourhood safety and hotspot locations across Nottinghamshire.

Investing £400,000 into the city’s night-time economy, such as ‘Operation Guardian’ which cracks down on drug dealers.

Investing more than £1.5 million in custody-based diversion for young people and further enhance the suite of out of court disposal options available to tackle the underlying causes of early onset offending.

Working with local authority partners to ensure all primary schools in Nottinghamshire are offered specialist healthy relationship programmes which include issues such as consent, coercive and controlling behaviour.

Investing more than £2.6 million into local drug treatment services for offenders across Nottinghamshire, and increase referrals into drug treatment services through ‘test on arrest’.

Making at least £300,000 of new funding available to improve the police’s response to crimes committed or facilitated online.

Expanding the force’s digital media investigation team to enable better outcomes for victims of online crime.

Establishing an anti-social behavioir taskforce that will work to increase public confidence in the response to ASB.

Developing Operation Reacher – which disrupts and dismantles drug dealers by increasing the number of officers and level of resources available.

Improving the recording and reporting on specific rural crimes, such as farm machinery theft, fuel theft, fly tipping, poaching, livestock offences and equine crime.

Making an additional £400,000 available to tackle rural crime such as equipment like drones, hardware tracking and off-road stingers.

Providing £500,000 additional funding to expand the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology, creating a ‘ring of steel’ around Nottinghamshire that will help to stop criminal use of the road network and improve the response to county lines drugs trafficking.

Working with partner agencies to improve the speed of investigations, including driving improvements in outcomes for rape and other serious sexual offences.

Launching a £1 million Make Notts Safe Grants Fund for third-sector organisations to take action to address the community safety issues they face.

Continuing to lobby Government to ensure full implementation of the long awaited police funding formula review which currently sees the area lose more than £10 million per year.

Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police, Craig Guildford, said: “We will unapologetically seek the relentless disruption of serious and organised crime. We will continue to support and refer victims whilst safeguarding the vulnerable.

“The nature and complexity of the crimes that we deal with continues to change, which is why we have invested in more specialist posts to tackle online and serious organised crime.

“We must balance addressing the visible impact of crime such as anti-social behaviour and burglary with tackling the often hidden impact of organised crime or crimes committed behind closed doors, such as domestic and sexual abuse, which can lead to great harm and vulnerability.”