New Unit to Enhance Quality of Service
The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Gwent, Jeff Cuthbert, officially launches a new unit today which aims to provide an improved level of service for the public by ensuring that any dissatisfaction with Gwent Police is dealt with as quickly and effectively as possible before it evolves into a more serious complaint. The unit also encourages members of the public to tell them about good levels of service they have received from the Force.
Gwent PCC Jeff Cuthbert has launched the Public Response Unit (PRU) in order to complement the work of the Force's Professional Standards Department (PSD) which handles complaints of a more serious nature against officers and staff.
The new PRU Team has been working with internal and external partners to design, develop and build the new service. In the build up to the official launch, they have been dealing with the majority of incidents of dissatisfaction referred to them over the last few months and have been logging any complements.
The unit has been established to promote openness; transparency; efficiency and to provide an appropriate response in a timely manner. On receipt of a concern, they will consider how to best deal with the matter and will facilitate the swift resolution of any dissatisfaction or concern by liaising with the appropriate point of contact within Gwent Police. Any formal complaints however will be linked directly to the Force's Professional Standards Department or the Police and Crime Commissioner's Office. The PRU will be the first point of contact for all issues apart from those raised directly with police officers and staff.
Examples of the types of dissatisfaction or concern the team could deal with include:
- A lack of contact or response from Gwent Police;
- Any apparent absence of action around anti-social behaviour (ASB) or illegal parking issues in a community;
- Or it may be that the service user has requested an update regarding their case. In this instance, the Public Response Team member will identify and contact the relevant inspector in charge to try and address any issues.
The team aim to record the dissatisfaction or grievance within 24 hours of receipt and will aim to resolve it within 10 working days. Members of the public will also be able to contact the unit to request information and also to provide positive comments and feedback regarding the service they have received from Gwent Police.
Highlighting the importance of the new service, Gwent PCC Jeff Cuthbert, said: "I have a duty to ensure that the police respond effectively to public concerns. That is why it's important that any expressions of dissatisfaction against the Force are captured and dealt with appropriately in order to ensure public confidence in the service it provides. This is why the Chief Constable and I are committed to delivering a more streamlined public friendly approach to handling expressions of dissatisfaction and concerns. We also want members of the public to tell us about good levels of service they have received, so we will be encouraging positive feedback. If you have any concerns, suggestions or compliments you wish to bring to our attention please contact us."
The Chief Constable of Gwent Police, Jeff Farrar, said: "We are pleased to be working closely with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to ensure that dissatisfaction and quality of service issues are dealt with appropriately. This new unit will help resolve issues quickly and effectively before they develop into more serious complaints. This will inevitably help to reduce some of the pressure on our Professional Standards Department."
Vickie Day, the Branch Secretary for the Gwent Police Federation, said: "Finding new ways of dealing with matters or dissatisfaction raised by the public can only be a positive step forward. It is hoped this new unit will resolve issues quickly and in turn reduce the current workload to Professional Standards Department."
Contacting the Public Response Unit
If you have any concerns, suggestions or compliments you wish to bring to the attention of the Public Response Unit, please call 01633 642037 Monday to Friday between 10:00-12:00 and 13:00-15:00. You can also directly access and submit an online form on the Police and Crime Commissioners website 24 hours a day. The form can be found here