First
National Policing Plan for Wales Launched
Police Forces in Wales are leading the way in
England and Wales with collaborative working as the first ever National
Policing Plan for Wales is launched.
The National Policing Plan is the result of the four Police Forces and
Authorities in Wales working together.
It sets out the strategic priorities for Policing in Wales and outlines
how the four forces will work together to make sure the ultimate aim of
reducing crime and the fear of crime is achieved to make sure that Wales
remains a safe place to live and work.
Wales is the first to establish a joint committee who are responsible
for producing a joint plan as well as monitoring its implementation through
an action plan.
Chair of Police Authorities Wales, Cllr Ian Roberts said: - 'The Home
Office has made it clear that it expects all Police Forces in England
and Wales to improve the way that they deliver services over the coming
years.
'Police Authorities Wales was established and set in motion a collaborative
work programme that maximises the resources available and improves capability
and capacity throughout Wales.
'Working together we have produced the National Policing Plan that sets
out a challenging programme of projects within a defined timescale; again
– this is the first initiative of its kind in England and Wales.
The joint committee will closely monitor its implementation.'
Representing all Chief Constables in Wales Mr Ian Arundale said, 'The
plan clearly sets out what we are working towards over the coming years
and it follows on from the Green Paper published by the Home Office.
'It demonstrates that we are taking our responsibility to safeguard citizens
of Wales seriously. People are at the heart of everything we do. It is
our job to do all we can to provide a better, safer Wales.
'The National Policing Plan outlines how services in Wales will be improved
for the citizens across the length and breadth of Wales.
'It sets out how we can make sure that we have the right people in the
right places and the right times doing the right things to make sure we
have a better, safer Wales.
'Each year Police forces face tougher funding settlements from central
Government. This is why we need to review the ways that we work. We need
to make sure we deliver high quality services for people across the country
in a more efficient way.
'The traditional role of the police in England and Wales has changed dramatically.
The threats that we face have altered, our responsibilities have expanded,
culture is shifting– we must move forward and adapt to these changes.
'Policing in the 21st century means dealing with issues at various levels
from counter terrorism and civil emergencies to child protection and managing
sex offenders, whilst ensuring that local policing is embedded in the
heart of each community.
'To be able to meet the challenges that we face we must collaborate. Working
together is one of the most powerful weapons we have at our disposal against
dealing with the threats and issues that we face.
'However, it would be wrong to assume that this is the start of collaborative
working. Police services in Wales have already been successfully working
together for a number of years.
'At a programme level collaboration has contributed an additional £5.6
million to policing in Wales.
'Wales is leading the way in England and Wales in tackling serious, organised
and cross border crime. Operation Tarian (regional task force and regional
asset recovery team) has made a significant contribution to the capacity
of all forces in Wales to deal with such crime.
'WECTU, the Wales Extremism and counter terrorism unit was set up to collaborate
and respond to threats posed by international terrorism and domestic extremism.
'Forces have also been working together to improve their capacity and
enhance their capability to tackle protective services effectively as
well as closer working arrangements in the various areas of business support.
'Working together on specific projects means that we can achieve a lot
more with the resources that we have.'
