Press Release

Reference:  1/05  Date:  January 2, 2005

ACPO RESPONSE TO THE CIVITAS REPORT: THE INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF CIVIL SOCIETY.

In response to the CIVITAS report: The Institute for the study of Civil Society, published today, Chris Fox, President of ACPO, said:

"It is disappointing to see the headlines of the report that has used conflicting evidence to draw simplistic conclusions. Whilst its accepts that police officers now have twenty times the workload that officers previously had and also accepts society has changed dramatically in that period of time, it then reaches a conclusion about the quality of policing that does not reflect the reality of the Service's achievements.

"The past nine years has seen a year on year reduction of crime, which must reflect on the quality of policing throughout that time. The report accepts the crime has been reduced to the same level of 1981, but gives no credit for that.

"The study also suggests that the New York zero tolerance approach to crime has not been tried in the UK because of police opposition. This is not the full picture; zero tolerance was accompanied by huge increases in police resources and a directed impactive effect by all municipal agencies. In fact comparison with other police operations are difficult in Europe and the USA, as the number of police officers per head of population is much larger.

"The British police service is committed to continuing the reduction in crime and is constantly developing new ways of tackling it, developing neighbourhood policing and improving its effectiveness. Virtually every force, for instance is using the lessons being learnt from the ACPO/Home Office Reassurance Policing Project being undertaken in eight forces to develop a model of reassuring neighbourhood policing.

"Beat policing has the support of chief officers, but cannot be the same as beat policing in a vastly different society such as that of the 1950's."

ends

NOTES FOR EDITORS;

- The ACPO Press Office can be contacted via 020 7227 3406/3425 (office hours) or via 07803 903686 (out of office hours). Further information, including recent news releases, can also be found on website 'www.acpo.police.uk'.

- Through a series of committees and working groups ACPO members, often in consultation with other groups, develop policy and guidance for the police service. The Association aims to assist chief officers in providing excellence in leadership of the service; to ensure a professional and ethical service is delivered to all communities; and to provide professional advice to Government, Police Authorities, other organisations and individuals with an interest in policing issues.

- ACPO's 292 members are police officers of Assistant Chief Constable rank (Commanders in the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police) and above, and senior non-police managers, in the 44 forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, plus national agencies such as NCIS and the National Crime Squad, and other forces such as British Transport Police and States of Jersey Police.