The Home Secretary, Theresa May MP, has been clear that her priority for the police is to cut crime, this involves:

• the prevention and detection of crime;
• understanding offender behaviour;
• dealing with the activities that can lead to criminality;
• building relationships with the public;
• understanding the experience of victims;
• maintaining public order;
• policing public spaces;
• keeping communities safe;
• and many other issues.

In addition, as an emergency service the police have a number of other responsibilities and commitments, including preparing for and responding to major incidents and even natural disasters.

This statement aims to represent all the demands and responsibilities on the police and put performance statistics made available to the public in context.

The role of the police is to respond to calls for assistance from the public and other agencies, and to undertake activity to ensure the safety of the community. Ultimately, everything the police do is in order to cut crime.

In common with the rest of the public sector, police forces are finding new and less expensive ways of working that meet the needs of the public and sustain quality of service.

Description of policing environment

The following information can be found within the Warwickshire Observatory's Quality of Life in Warwickshire document 2010. This is an assessment of the state of Warwickshire using a range of economic, social and environmental indicators.

• Geography
  The size of the force area, major towns, the type of land e.g. countryside - Warwickshire at a Glance and About Warwickshire (Pages 14-22)
• Demography
  The population size, ethnic minorities, transient population e.g. students, tourists - Warwickshire at a Glance and About Warwickshire (Pages 14-22)
• Economy
  The economic make up of the area, affluence/deprivation levels etc - Economic Indicators (Pages 23 - 60)
• Social and cultural issues
  The area contains e.g. football stadia and conference venues, developments e.g. Olympic sites, recent social history e.g. looting/disorder, infrastructure e.g. public transport network. Include anything of national importance. - Social Indicators (Pages 61 - 111)

‘Quality of Life in Warwickshire’ is freely available online at: www.warwickshireobservatory.org

Description of the force

The following information, and more, can be found within the Information Commissioner's Model Publication Scheme on our website. Click the following link to take you to Publication Scheme for Warwickshire Police.

• Budget
• Staff
  
• Other assets
  
• Style, mission, values, ethos etc
  

Summary of performance

A summary of Warwickshire Police's performance can be found with the Policing Plan which covers some of the areas mentioned below. The Policing Plan can be found by following this link.

CRIME

Violence against the person

Violence against the person is a very broad label that ranges from murder, through assaults causing injury, to stalking and harassment (that doesn’t cause physical injury). It accounts for approximately 20% of all crime in England and Wales.

Acquisitive crime

Acquisitive crime is based on a motivation to steal money or property and includes burglary, robbery, vehicle crime, and theft and handling stolen goods. It accounts for approximately 50% of all crime in England and Wales.

Other crimes

Other crime categories recorded by the police include criminal damage, fraud and forgery, drug offences and public order. It accounts for approximately 30% of all crime in England and Wales.

QUALITY OF LIFE AND SERVICE

Anti social behaviour

Anti social behaviour (ASB) is categorised as either nuisance, environmental or personal ASB. It includes rowdy and inconsiderate behaviour, street drinking and malicious/nuisance communications. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish this from some crimes, such as criminal damage and ‘low level’ public order. It is also often a precursor to crime. ASB has a complex relationship with crime and can be a matter of interpretation and perspective. However, it can have devastating effects on quality of life and the safety of individuals and communities, particularly if it is a repeated event.

Vulnerable people

Individuals or groups are often vulnerable because of their circumstances or characteristics such as religion, age, ethnicity or previous victimisation. The police have a responsibility to protect vulnerable members of the public, whether victims of crime or not. Specially trained officers provide support to vulnerable people.

Safety of public spaces

As well as dealing with crimes and incidents and protecting individuals, the police also deal with the safety of larger groups, both as part of organised, pre-planned events and in emergency situations. The police work closely with other agencies (including the other emergency services) to facilitate the safety of the public, and provide the flexibility to respond to anything dangerous or criminal that might happen during these large scales events.