This means that everyone can see exactly what crime is happening and where - right down to the level of their street corner. If anyone has concerns about the crime they see or how issues are dealt with, they can raise them with the police.
Under Labour the police were directed by Whitehall diktat. They spent their time chasing centrally-defined targets, not responding to the needs of local communities they were supposed to be serving. Despite record spending, bureaucracy and form-filling kept police behind desks. They were not on the streets fighting crime. A recent report by the police inspectorate showed that only eleven per cent of police officers were visible and available to the public at any time.
The Conservative-led coalition government is introducing a series of measures as part of their plan to fight crime:
1) Slashing bureaucracy – steps already taken to save up to 800,000 hours of police time by scrapping the stop form and limiting stop and search reporting.
2) Removing all targets and setting the police just one goal: to cut crime.
3) Introducing directly-elected Police and Crime Commissioners to ensure that police forces respond to the needs of local communities.
4) Providing transparent information so local communities really know about crime in their area.
Commenting on the world-leading new website, Steve said: “I am really pleased that the Conservative-led government has demonstrated they are serious about cutting the levels of crime and anti-social behaviour in our communities.
“By providing crime data in an open format that anyone can access, even from their mobile, we can all hold the police to account. We can ensure they deal with the issues that actually matter to us locally not those decided by a Whitehall bureaucrat.”
Home Secretary Theresa May said: “‘We want people to be able to see what crime is happening on their street and to be able to tell their local police if they have concerns, and challenge them about how issues are being dealt with. This new information will allow them to do just that. This is a major achievement, reconnecting the police and communities through the power of information.
“But this is just the start. We want to build on this by working with the police and communities to explore how we can go further and faster and drive forward even greater transparency across crime, policing and justice.”
Nick Herbert MP, Minister for Policing and Criminal Justice, added: “I have been an advocate of street-level crime mapping since seeing it work in Los Angeles so I am excited to see this website launched, particularly as I believe it goes further and is more comprehensive than any other scheme. www.police.uk will make England and Wales world leaders in this field, with every citizen able to access details about crimes on their streets.
“Together with the introduction of directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners, we are giving people the information and power to hold their local forces to account and ensure that crime in their neighbourhood is driven down.”
Pictured; The new website allows members of the public to view crime details street by street
More information...
Access the site and find out about crime in your area by visiting www.police.uk.