Police and Crime Plan Unanimously Endorsed by Panel

The panel, who whilst making some suggestions for minor amendments to clarify the priorities and success measures, unanimously endorsed the plan.

The plan has been drawn up over the first three months of Commissioner's tenure, and includes elements which have been gleaned from feedback provided by Gwent residents about their policing priorities. The plan also incorporates feedback from rank and file officers and from the Chief Officer team.

The Commissioner commented:

"As the first Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent, my vision is to prevent and reduce crime and ASB, support victims and make Gwent a safer place.

"To achieve this, I will focus on the following strategic priorities:

• To deliver the best quality of service available.
• To reduce and prevent crime
• To reduce incidents of ASB
• To protect people from serious harm
• To make the best use of resources and provide Value for Money

"The Police and Crime Plan will be crucial in delivering these priorities and I sincerely believe that all of this is achievable despite the continuing pressures that a reduction in the policing budget will bring.

Discussing how the plan has been developed the Commissioner added:

"I want to make it clear that this is not my plan, this is our plan. The feedback provided by Gwent residents through the consultation and through more informal channels has been invaluable. Likewise feedback and comment from Gwent officers has also been useful. I'm grateful to everyone who took the time to pass on their comments.

"Whilst I've not been able to respond directly to everyone, I have personally read every one of the comments submitted. Using the comments and feedback I've drawn out the key themes and areas of focus which are now part of the plan."

During the meeting the Panel questioned the Commissioner for over an hour about the plan and made some minor suggestions in regards to priorities and success measures. The Commissioner accepted these suggestions and the Panel unanimously endorsed the Plan.

The Commissioner concluded:

"I'm grateful to the Panel for their constructive feedback and comments which will now be incorporated into the plan. Once these changes are made the finalised document will be produced by March 31st 2013 and will underpin the work of Gwent Police until 2017."