Norfolk people get a good service from police at a price that is value for money.  That’s the verdict on Norfolk Constabulary in an assessment by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary published today (Thursday).

The comprehensive ‘Police Report Card’, available to view at My Police allows the public to scrutinise the performance and value for money of their police and to make comparisons with all other 42 forces in England and Wales.

According to HMIC, Norfolk Constabulary was rated:

• Good for local crime and policing
• Good for protection from serious harm
• Fair for confidence and satisfaction
   

How much does it cost?

• It costs less per head than the average for similar forces to police Norfolk
• Local council taxpayers contribute 33% to the cost of policing Norfolk.  At the Band D
• Council Tax rate, that’s £185.60 per property a year. 
   

Acting Chief Constable, Ian Learmonth, said Norfolk’s Report Card was reassuring news for everyone, reflecting the enormous efforts put in by officers and staff to deliver excellent local policing services.

“It is now clear for all to see that Norfolk Constabulary is a high-performing force which has driven down crime year on year to the lowest level in the country.  We are solving more of the crimes that matter to local people, particularly house burglary and vehicle crime, and we are doing all this at a lower cost than similar forces.

“I’m very pleased with the results for Norfolk.  I am pleased for our staff as they are now recognised amongst their peers for their efforts and I am pleased for everyone in the county as they can be confident they are getting value for money policing.

“Of course, we will continue our efforts to provide more improvements in our service and we will do our level best to maintain our position as ‘safest in England’.  This Report is a confidence boost for the Constabulary and should boost the confidence of Norfolk people in their police service.”

Chairman of Norfolk Police Authority, Stephen Bett, welcomed the Report Card:

“HMIC’s report card for the Norfolk Constabulary confirms the Police Authority’s view that the policing service in Norfolk is first class.  The Authority has consistently invested in the Constabulary over the past years, and the ‘Good’ grades for Local Crime and Policing, and Protection from Serious Harm, show this money has been well spent.  Of particular note is that Norfolk Constabulary was not graded as ‘Poor’ in any area of business, achieving excellent or good in eight of 18 categories under scrutiny.. 

There are always improvements to be sought, and the Authority will continue to press the Constabulary and our new Chief Constable to achieve even more. But the clear message from this HMIC report is that not only is the Constabulary a good performing force all round, but it is good value for money as well.”

Zoë Billingham, HMI for Norfolk, said:

“Norfolk is one of the safest counties to live in the country. Over the last three years Norfolk Constabulary has delivered a higher reduction in overall crime than many other forces in England and Wales. The Constabulary demonstrates good performance in two of the three key areas of policing we have looked at: local crime and policing and protection from serious harm.

“The cost of policing in Norfolk is low to medium and this is a high performing force. Overall crime is low and the force can demonstrate some excellent results in reducing crime levels, particularly criminal damage. The force is performing very well in solving the crimes that matter to local people, particularly in relation to house burglary and vehicle crime.

“Last year, changes to the force’s internal structure released significant and impressive savings which were used to strengthen frontline policing; an additional 100 police officers were recruited and 178 police officers transferred to Safer Neighbourhood Teams.

“There are some areas for improvement. The level of public confidence in Norfolk Constabulary has remained stable over the last year; improvement is needed if the force is to meet its national target to improve confidence over the next two years.”

Residents in the county can now access more information than ever before about their risk from crime and anti-social behaviour.  Access the interactive crime maps on our website and sign up to receive police updates and relevant local information to be sent by email, text or a phone message to landlines or mobiles.