The Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Panel recently released its Performance and Insight annual report for the period up to September 2024, providing a mixed picture of progress and challenges faced by the police force.
The report forms part of the broader Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Plan 2024-2029, designed to outline and track key performance indicators (KPIs) for the force in areas including public safety, crime reduction, victim support, and police visibility.
Significant Crime Reduction Achievements
The report highlights several positive strides in tackling crime across Nottinghamshire. Overall victim-based crime has seen a notable reduction of 6.8% compared to the previous year.
Specific categories of crime have experienced even greater decreases: vehicle crime dropped by 15.7% (-846 offences), residential burglary declined by 7% (-214 offences), and theft from person offences fell by 11.5% (-120 offences). Neighbourhood crime, in general, has also seen a reduction of 11.1%, making Nottinghamshire a positive outlier nationally.
The force attributes these reductions to its commitment to preventative activities and problem-solving, supported by targeted operations such as the Safer Streets programme.
This initiative has led to environmental improvements in key areas, including the installation of 26 new CCTV cameras, 19 new lamps, and a designated youth shelter in a local park, enhancing community safety.
Anti-Social Behaviour and Victim Satisfaction
The reduction in anti-social behaviour (ASB) incidents has been another key success. Police recorded ASB fell by 4.1% in the last quarter, continuing a year-long trend that saw an 11.2% overall reduction. The efforts to tackle ASB have involved focused youth outreach programmes, environmental measures, and enforcement action such as applications for Criminal Behaviour Orders to combat anti-social begging.
Public satisfaction with police services has also improved significantly. The Police and Crime Survey shows that resident satisfaction increased by 6.7% over the last year, while victim satisfaction rose by 5.8%. These figures are further supported by an increase in individuals accessing Nottinghamshire’s Victim Care Service, which saw a 20.3% rise following the introduction of an opt-out referral process.
High Call-Handling Performance and Positive Outcome Rates
In terms of emergency response, Nottinghamshire Police maintains one of the best call-answering performances in the country. For 999 emergency calls, 91.6% were answered within target times, with abandonment rates remaining very low at 0.4%. Similarly, 86.1% of 101 non-emergency calls were answered promptly, with a 2% abandonment rate.
© Nottinghamshire Police
The force also excels in achieving positive outcomes for crime investigations. The overall crime positive outcome rate stands at 15%, which exceeds the national average of 12.1% as well as regional benchmarks. For victim-based crime, the rate is 12.4%, higher than the national average of 9.4%, reflecting the force’s effective approach to investigations and resolution.
Challenges: Public Trust, Minority Communities, and Violent Crime
Despite these successes, the report reveals some concerning trends. There has been a reduction in public trust and confidence, particularly in urban areas, where trust fell by 7.2%. This downturn is partly reflected in perceptions that the police do not fully understand local issues or respond adequately to community concerns. Confidence has also dropped among minority ethnic communities, where satisfaction with policing decreased by 2.8% over the past year. This stands in contrast to relatively stable confidence levels among White British respondents.
The report also highlights an increase in police-recorded hate crime, rising by 1.8%, which has been partly attributed to recent periods of social unrest and international events, such as the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023. Additionally, perceptions of community cohesion have declined, with fewer people believing that those from different backgrounds get on well locally.
Another significant area of concern is the increase in violent crime and adult serious sexual offences. Police-recorded violence with injury increased by 10.4%, and serious sexual offences involving adults rose by 8.7%. Domestic abuse cases also saw a 4.8% increase over the same period. While these figures indicate a worrying trend, the force has also intensified its use of preventative tools, such as Domestic Violence Protection Notices and Orders, which increased by 18.2% and 17.8%, respectively.
Stop and Search Data Revisions
The report also addressed a previous error in stop and search data, which had incorrectly included vehicle stops under the Road Traffic Act. Corrected figures now show a 26% reduction in the use of stop and search powers over the last year, along with a 2.9% increase in positive outcomes. The Police and Crime Commissioner’s Independent Community Scrutiny Panel continues to play a vital role in overseeing the fairness and appropriateness of stop and search practices.
Looking Ahead: The Road to Improvement
While there have been notable successes in reducing overall crime and enhancing victim satisfaction, Nottinghamshire Police faces challenges in rebuilding public trust, particularly among minority communities and in addressing the rising rates of violence and serious sexual offences. The new 2024-2029 Police and Crime Plan aims to continue reducing crime through partnership approaches, community engagement, and a renewed focus on neighbourhood policing.
The Police and Crime Panel has been invited to scrutinise these performance updates further and provide guidance on areas requiring greater focus. The challenge now lies in maintaining the positive trajectory for crime reduction while addressing areas where public trust and crime prevention still need improvement.
