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Contact us Lancashire rated one of best police forces
12:21pm Thursday 11th March 2010
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- By Sam Chadderton » Crime reporter
LANCASHIRE has been hailed as one of the best performing police forces in the country.
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies has released ‘report cards’ on all 43 forces and labelled Lancashire as a ‘beacon force’ for neighbourhood policing.
Chief Constable Steve Finnigan said he was ‘delighted’ with the top grading, which he said ‘translates to good service for the public’.
“We are the only force in the country out of 43 to get an excellent grade for local crime and policing," he said.
“What is particularly pleasing about that is it reflects our approach to neighbourhood policing which is deeply embedded in our communities.”
The HMIC Chief Inspector Denis O’Connor was critical of the way all forces dealt with anti-social behaviour.
But Mr Finnigan said Lancashire’s strong neighbourhood policing model was centred around tackling such crimes.
He said: “Anti-social behaviour blights people’s lives. What matters most to people is what happens on their doorstep.
“We focus on repeat and vulnerable victims, repeat offenders and hotspots and will continue to do this.
“There is a big partnership focus in Lancashire, working hand i glove with other agencies towards ‘neighbourhood management’.”
The report highlighted the number of people killed or seriously injured on the county’s roads, as well as drugs as the two main challenges.
Mr Finnigan responded: “I am disappointed with the ‘fair’ grade and determined to improve it. The figures for 2009 reduced seven per cent from 2008 - that’s 65 less victims.
“Our drugs seizures were around the £1m value mark in 2009 and we will be putting a lot more ANPR cameras on our roads to form a ring of steel to help combat the threat of serious and organised crime.
“I absolutely accept that drugs wreck people’s lives and we will keep a tight focus on people bringing drugs into Lancashire and ruining communities.”
Roger Baker, HMI for Lancashire, said: “Lancashire Constabulary is one of the strongest performing forces in England and Wales.
"The constabulary has achieved reductions in crime over a number of years and has increased the levels of crime solved, especially for burglary and robbery."
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Your Say YourCitizen
time.team, Blackburn says...
1:44pm Thu 11 Mar 10
Like any other industry you have workers that are good or perhaps bad, managers good or perhaps bad. The ‘soldier’ at the sharp end doing the actual work for those with ‘rank’ organising the work for them towards a given goal.
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The average police man or woman are individuals just doing a job like the rest of us but it’s up to those with the power to control that work force that produce the results. Good or bad!
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Then you have the person ‘in charge of the whole affair’ that has the power and the responsibility for that organisation to work towards his/her demands. He is the master planner and should have the skills to hopefully bring about success. Strong yet someone that can be respected and looked up to by all. The ideal situation as would be a ‘soldier and a general‘.
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We have that man and we can judge him by the results of his organising skills: Man of Straw, do I really need to say any more?
MerlinTheVoiceofReason, Ramsbottom says...
1:54pm Thu 11 Mar 10
Lancashire Constabulary do an excellent job overall and you should be proud of that, and extremely glad that you don't have to deal with the motley crew that calls itself Greater Manchester Police.
K!!, says...
3:11pm Thu 11 Mar 10
Glad I don't have to deal with them, majority are hypocrites who like to live by there own law.
Adamski_666, Goraville says...
8:16pm Thu 11 Mar 10
its pure bull crap and as we all know the police in lancashire are amongst the worst in the world, they would definitely be receiving medals for sitting on their back sides doing nothing or switching their hazard lights on to go through traffic lights.
racist, pathetic morons. they are worse than the bloody criminals. hows the officer doing who smashed the suburu into blackburn multi storey car park? how did he explain that i wonder?
burner, blackburn says...
10:52pm Thu 11 Mar 10
have_a_word, Nelson says...
12:54pm Fri 12 Mar 10
Richard_Nelson, Nelson says...
2:01pm Fri 12 Mar 10
I've only ever come in to contact with the police 3 times in my lifetime and everytime they have been completly useless. An example when I was in a road rage incident, they didn't turn up. It took a week of ringing them to get someone to speak to me and rather than coming to my home I had to go down to the police station to be just told in a 2 minute conversation that there is nothing they can do apart from flag his vehicle.
I rang them the other week as I was absolutly fuming that one of their cars had put his lights on to jump traffic so he could get to the chip shop quickly. When I asked the police how they monitor there officers on when they are using there lights and the women on the end of the phone was so defensive that I ended up putting the phone down.
I don't rate them as the best police force. There are a complete sham sometimes.
DELIGHTED: Steve Finnigan
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happycyclist, Darwen says...
12:34pm Thu 11 Mar 10
Or the residents of the street where 40 anti-social incidents were totted up in 9 months by the same person.
God help the rest of the country if Lancashire police are the best.