New plan to make South Wales even safer approved by Police and Crime Panel
Early intervention and prompt positive action to help prevent problems before they escalate is at the heart of a five year plan for policing South Wales, approved by the South Wales Police and Crime Panel today.
The plan is based on close co-operation with partners in local government, the health service and the voluntary sector, as well as Welsh Government, and sets out six priorities for keeping our communities safe. It reinforces the South Wales Police vision to make the force the best at understanding and responding to its communities’ needs.
The Police and Crime Commissioner Alun Michael has legal responsibility to set local priorities for policing – and in South Wales this is done through teamwork with Chief Constable Peter Vaughan and his team, as well as listening to the views of the public and partner organisations.
Mr Michael said: “Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour are at historically low levels yet demand for police services remains high at a time when we are faced with austerity and cutbacks. Constant innovation is needed to sustain public services and to improve the wellbeing of all our communities and future generations.
“Early Intervention combined with prompt, positive action will be our focus as we strive to protect the most vulnerable. Co-operation with other organisations and with our communities is the overarching principle which inspires us – together we can achieve more than we can achieve alone. At a time when some other police forces are threatening to retreat from neighbourhood policing, this plan makes clear that local working with communities will be more important to us than ever.”
Chief Constable Peter Vaughan said: “The police are often the first agency to be in contact with children or families in need of help. We want to be part of the solution that can help the vulnerable before reaching the point where they need the emergency services.
“Early Intervention helps prevent problems before they escalate, stops people from becoming victims, diverts people away from crime and reduces demand on the police and our partners. It means swiftly identifying issues and working with partners to find sustainable solutions, leading to prompt positive action.”
The full police and crime plan, together with an executive summary including achievements to date and ambitions for the future, can be found at www.southwalescommissioner.wales
