The Leicestershire constabulary is responsible for maintaining the safety of the law abiding citizens of Leicestershire, an area in the UK East Midlands, encompassing 0.9 million residents and over 2000 police officers. Here is a little on the history of the Leicestershire constabulary and some information on its future direction.
History of The Leicestershire Constabulary
The Leicester Borough Police force was formed in 1836 and became the first police force in Leicestershire. Just three years after this foundation, Leicestershire became one of the first few counties in the UK to establish a police constabulary.
The county gained a third police force in 1848 when Rutland constabulary was formed. This was possibly the smallest on record, having just one police constable and one chief constable.
It was only in 1951 that any kind of amalgamation took place when Rutland police merged with the Leicestershire constabulary. At this stage in the force's history, it had 748 police officers.
It was only in 1974 that the entire policing of Leicestershire came under one name, the Leicestershire constabulary. This is the name which remains in operation today.
Proposals made by the home secretary to join the force with four other East Midland areas were dropped in 2007.
The Modern Day Leicestershire Constabulary
The present day sees a much larger and much more modern force. Instead of the 748 officers of 1951, it now has an incredible 2,311 officers and 15 local policing units. The policing units are divided into North, Central and South.
The policing pledge is a government initiative which asks police forces across the UK to set out their plans and promises to the public. This is generally a ten point plan which envelopes ten police force pledges to the residents living in its area of control.
The Leicestershire constabulary hasn't dragged its heels in this respect and it has its very own policing pledge. It seems that availability and openness are at the very summit of its intentions and the very first point of its pledge is to provide the public with information regarding the policing in their area. The constabulary wishes to be as easy to contact as possible.
They also want to create a more obvious police presence in the local communities. They aim to put the officers where people have a need for them and during the times when they need to see a more concentrated police manifestation. It is also stated that the constabulary will endeavour to ensure that 80% of police officer time is spent within the local community and that staff turnover is minimised as much as possible.
Every message is to be responded to within 24 hours; according to their pledge and all 999 calls are to be answered within ten seconds. They have also agreed to arrange regular meetings with the scope of keeping in touch with the public about issues that are affecting them. Crime maps and monthly updates are also available to residents in Leicestershire as well as information on the steps being taken by the constabulary to reduce crime in their area.
A recent and very modern addition to the police service in Leicestershire is the virtual neighbourhood available on the Leicestershire constabulary website. This is a virtual plan of the area which has buttons and links to information from the police. It is a practical guide on how to keep yourself safe, protect your belongings and avoid crime in your area. It is a very unique idea and part of the police force's pledge to provide much more information to members of the public.
The Leicestershire police force has most definitely opened up to the public. It provides a huge volume of information on how to help prevent crime. It encourages the members of local communities to actively ensure that they are not the victim of a crime. There are more safety tips and advice on their website than you ever thought possible and every angle is covered. A browse through some of these topics, highlights so many intuitive safety points and demonstrates the constabulary's promise to increase awareness.
Amongst its many pledges to the public, the Police force in Leicestershire has outlined 50 standards of service that can be expected when any member of the public comes into contact with the police. This is known as the Quality of Service commitment, coming into play for every single occasion, with no regard for why or how a member of the public comes into contact with the police.
Similar to many police forces across the country, the Leicestershire constabulary has adopted a much more community based policing strategy. In this way, it has launched a program named: Getting Personal. This is a program aimed to ensure that members of the local police teams are engaged and integrated into the community to which they are assigned. This includes the work of Police Community Support Officers.
The Leicestershire constabulary also intends to make the future even safer. It aims to achieve this by educating the adults of tomorrow. There is a mass of information with children in mind with the goal of keeping them safe and on the straight and narrow. There is information on chatroom safety and interactive activities such as colouring fun. All of this is to educate children on issues that affect them now, as well as issues that will affect them in the future.
These methods seem to be working; crime has fallen by 8.7% over the year ending December 2009. This is one of the greatest crime reductions in the UK. However, it should be noted that the city of Leicester is known to have the highest levels of crime of all three of the main East Midland’s cities. Therefore, it is clear that more work needs to be undertaken in the county’s urban areas.
The Leicestershire constabulary is one of the most open and informative in the UK. It provides the public with all the information they need to know and sets out its goals in the policing pledge. It provides support for the local communities and intends on getting as close as possible to local residents.
To return to the list of police forces please click here: Police History
