Performance and Measurement

Summary

Lancashire is a diverse area, with a proud industrial heritage, consisting of four major conurbations, including one city, together with extensive rural areas, universities and popular tourist destinations. The force area has a resident population of approximately 1.5 million and is home to a wide range of communities from differing ethnic, religious and racial backgrounds. In general, the local economy is strong but there are areas of significant deprivation.

The force’s ambition ‘to consistently be the best police force in the country’ is supported by its four strategic priorities – protecting people, quality of service, diversity and Neighbourhood Policing. It aspires to be a truly citizen-focused organisation renowned for quality and sustained excellence.

Investment in protective services has been increased and Neighbourhood Policing is firmly embedded throughout the force. The force has achieved reductions in both acquisitive and violent crime; the levels of domestic burglary and vehicle crime are now the lowest experienced in Lancashire for 27 years and 20 years respectively. At the same time, unprecedented increases in both sanction detection rates and the percentage of offences brought to justice have been achieved. There have been improvements in the level of satisfaction reported by victims of crime during 2006/07, and the force continues its efforts in this area through its strategic priorities. The local improvement priority measures selected for assessment in 2006/07 are in line with the force strategic priorities and relate to crimes arising from prejudice and criminal damage offences, particularly those connected to anti-social behaviour and the misuse of alcohol.

In the 2005/06 baseline assessment, HMIC rated the force as either Good or Excellent in all areas except one, Protecting Vulnerable People, for which it was graded Fair and Deteriorated. In response, the force agreed a local improvement priority focusing on victims of domestic abuse and provided added impetus to plans to develop key areas such as investigating child abuse and safeguarding children, the management of domestic abuse and investigating indecent images of children on the internet. Recent HMIC inspections in these areas confirm that improvements have been made and standards have risen.

The force now faces the challenge of matching supply and demand, following ten years of meeting efficiency targets, during which more than £72 million worth of savings have been generated, without cutting front-line posts. There are increasing demands across a widening policing spectrum, and the transition from Neighbourhood Policing to Neighbourhood Management is also a challenge for an organisation that is trying to increase public confidence and satisfaction levels. The force is seeking to absorb this pressure and move away from reactive policing by implementing a programme of change to business processes.

Providing enhanced protective services creates new challenges for the force. The full implications are unknown, but additional pressure has been placed on resources in order to build capability and capacity in the areas of counter-terrorism, serious and organised crime and major crime. Meeting these demands requires professional risk management in line with the force’s commitment to avoid withdrawing resources from highly visible front-line posts. The force remains a high performing organisation giving value for money. The force recognises the financial challenges that lie ahead over the next few years, but aims to manage the risk and continue to meet current and future demands for services.