Derbyshire's CC seeks public view

Derbyshire's Chief Constable Mick Creedon and Police Authority Chairman Janet Birkin are to personally ask the public what they think of their police service.

They will be fronting meetings in Derby, Ilkeston, Chesterfield and Buxton over the next six weeks to inform the public of the growing pressures on policing and how the service is changing.

They will update the public on how the force is performing, how the organisation has been reorganised this year, what needs to be done in the coming years and how its funding is a key risk.

Mr Creedon said: "We are at a stage in the year that we are starting to plan ahead and as part of that we want to know whether we're getting it right and who better to ask than the people of Derbyshire themselves.

"We want to find out if people are confident in their police service and whether we provide value for money.

"We have managed to achieve some fantastic reductions in crime over the last five years, with 25,000 fewer victims, but we still have a high proportion of people who are fearful of crime.

"There is also a cultural shift nationally to move away from a target driven system to focus more on the quality of the service we deliver and ultimately whether the public are satisfied and confident.

"The landscape of policing in this country is changing. There are growing risks and threats that police forces have to deal with and we want to let the public know the types of challenges their police force is facing.

"There is more pressure and activity in terms of organised crime groups, terrorism and protecting the most vulnerable in our communities from harm and we have to be in a position to tackle that."

Mrs Birkin said: "Staff and officers have shown tremendous commitment and dedication to deliver year-on-year reductions in crime whilst being one of the most under funded in the country

"The progress that has been made has seen Derbyshire become one of the safest places to live, work and visit.

"We have some difficult decisions to make on how we can tackle the key risks and threats to the force.

"Over the next three years we face a £4m deficit and we are the fourth lowest spenders per head in the England and Wales due to our funding situation.

"This consultation will help the Police Authority be better informed when it comes to making decisions for the next financial year and there are going to be challenging times ahead."

The dates and venues for the consultation are as follows:

Tuesday November 18th - The Spot Entertainment Centre, Sacheveral Street, Derby.

Tuesday November 25th - The Arena, Rutland Street, Ilkeston.

Wednesday November 26th - The Winding Wheel, Holywell Street, Chesterfield.

Monday December 8th - The Dome, University Campus, Devonshire Road, Buxton.

All meetings run from 7pm to around 9:30pm. Light refreshments will be available from 6:30pm.

If you would like to attend please phone 01773 733798 or email police.authority@derbyshire.pnn.police.uk

Alternatively an online questionnaire will soon be available at www.derbyshire.police.uk for people to register their views.