Residents in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire overwhelmingly believe that the city needs its own police chief.
This is one of the key results of a survey carried out by the City Council after Nottinghamshire Police went ahead with plans to restructure the Force, putting an end to a police division for the city, without consultation and despite assurances no immediate action would be taken.
It had been hoped that the current Chief Constable’s announced departure from the Force could prompt a sensible pause in the process, but the change was introduced and condemned by City Council Leader Councillor Jon Collins and the city’s MPs Graham Allen, Chris Leslie MP and Lilian Greenwood.
An initial City Council survey was extended after it emerged the change had already been implemented, and over 1,200 complete it – with 996 (82%) agreeing it was important to have a senior police officer in charge of the city, and 757 (63%) agreeing that the proposal poses a risk to the progress that’s been made over the past ten years in reducing crime.
The issue was raised at the Police & Crime Commissioner’s Scrutiny Panel on Monday when Paddy Tipping and outgoing Chief Constable Chris Eyre were asked about the move. It is to be raised again, at the Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership Board on Friday.
City Council Leader Councillor Jon Collins said: “We had already raised our serious concerns about these proposals as potentially undermining the excellent joint working between the council and police which has seen crime halve in the city over the past ten years. It’s clear from this survey that local people share our concerns and agree that the city should have its own divisional commander so that the city can be policed effectively.
“We were given assurances that changes wouldn’t be made without consultation and nothing would happen until the summer – but the police went ahead. We want the police to reverse this ill-judged decision and get back to working closely with us to ensure the city remains safe and well-run for all.”