New Police and Crime Commissioner outlines his position

WHAT are the priorities for the new South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner? What does he have planned to improve police officer morale? Will crime go up as austerity continues to bite?

SYPF Copper Connection spoke to Alan Billings and sought his views after his election on October 31.

Click here/see below for the full interview.

What will be your priorities in the new role?

My immediate priority has to be the matter of child sexual exploitation across South Yorkshire. (The Home Secretary wrote a letter of congratulations and made the same point.) I want to ensure that all victims are identified and are getting the support they need; that perpetrators are brought to justice and anyone that has turned a blind eye in the face of these crimes is held to account. The public made it very clear during the election period that they expect nothing less. For the future it means building a force that puts victims first.

I believe Chief Constable David Crompton and the senior command team understand this and I hope the same understanding pervades the force at every level. A second priority also emerged during the election. Many people told me how much they valued the work of their neighbourhood teams, both warranted officers and PCSOs. I shall try to protect and uphold that concept.

How will you improve the reputation of South Yorkshire Police after the Rotherham scandal?

We should not underestimate the anger that many people feel. We can only overcome that by showing that lessons from the past have genuinely been learnt and that the culture and practice of today is very different from yesterday. I, therefore, want to ensure that today’s force is truly victim-focused, both in what it says and what it does. This will gradually restore confidence.

I also intend to ensure that the force is adhering to the new code of ethics and I will introduce an independent ethics panel in the New Year to play a key role in ensuring that this is happening. I know that the senior command team and the majority of South Yorkshire Police officers and civilian staff, including some very talented and committed teams and individuals, are working tirelessly to provide a professional policing service throughout the county. I have already been impressed by much that I have seen and recognise that the force is in many respects already a model of good practice.

As time goes by, we can gradually help the public to recognise this as well. I will also work to ensure that communities are not divided by what happened at Rotherham. I have already taken steps to meet with various community leaders.

Police officers’ morale has been severely damaged – many officers say they have had a kicking by the press and politicians. What would you say to those officers?

I understand why morale has been damaged. I hope the present generation of officers understand why as well, because that is essential if we are to make progress. But I also recognise – and I think the public does – that a decent society requires good law and order – and that starts with good policing.

There may be anger over some past issues – Hillsborough, Orgreave and Rotherham – but there is also considerable respect for the often difficult job the force is asked to do and there is often a lot of goodwill towards the police at a neighbourhood level. I will do everything I can to ensure that we continue to build that respect – though I know there are some difficult days ahead when there will be further criticism of some past practices. With patience and a determination to get things right, we can come through.

How are you going to keep the force going through times of austerity?

Financial resources are being cut by central government and because of the way funding is structured, we are hit disproportionately in the bigger urban centres in the north. Sometimes financial pressures can lead us to re-think how we provide services and by being innovative we may be able to improve some aspects of service and save money. We know, for instance, that we can provide some services at a lower cost through collaboration with other forces across the region.

There may be new ways of working with other agencies. I shall encourage the force to be bold in this way. I’m also keen to ensure we make best use of technology to enable officers to spend more time in their neighbourhoods and less time doing paperwork in police stations. I will also press for more of the proceeds of crime to come to South Yorkshire. But I know that will not be possible in every area and we shall have to keep looking for savings in ways that minimise the effect on services.

Will crime increase as cuts take hold?

There is no reason to assume that this will happen, though I acknowledge that we can only make progress in reducing crime if we continue to think innovatively and creatively and work more smartly and intelligently in tackling it. I have already seen examples of this as I have toured parts of the operation over my first couple of weeks.

One thing I have already learnt is that the statistics the media love to report are not always what they seem. So, for example, while the number of sexual offences may appear to have risen, this may be because victims are becoming more confident in reporting them rather than that more crimes are being committed.

Officers have been told they will be given extra duties as budgets are stretched. Can you tell them more about that?

In challenging financial times, there will understandably be a growing concern that workloads and demand will continue to increase. I’m in the process of going through the finer details of how budget implications are having an impact on officers in their day to day roles through assessing our new operating model, which seeks to empower officers to work differently. In the short term, changes in the way we work may lead to an increase in workload but in the long term these changes should make for more sustainability.

However, the welfare of officers is an important issue and the current climate of austerity is not an ideal context. I will work closely with the Chief Constable to look at staff welfare issues. We all need a good work-life balance, even as we try to ensure that we provide a good level of service to the public within that context of decreasing levels of resource. However smart the technology, it’s the motivation of the workforce that matters above all.

Many officers want to leave the service as pay and conditions deteriorate. What would you do to retain talent in South Yorkshire?

The police officers of South Yorkshire are our biggest asset and they need to be recognised as such. I know how hard they work and would like to ensure that we consistently acknowledge the effort made by so many officers who make a real difference in their neighbourhoods and communities. I’m fully supportive of our people strategy, which looks at the benchmark of employee satisfaction and seeks to put in place effective reward and recognition schemes to help nurture and retain talent.

Recent times have been very difficult for the force, not only in dealing with challenging circumstances in the public sector but also in dealing with legacy issues and how they are portrayed in the media. I would like to reassure officers that I will do everything I can to help rebuild confidence across the force, and trust between the force, its partners and communities in South Yorkshire. I look forward to meeting more of you and working with you.