CRIME MAPS 'JUST THE START'

From Theresa May,
Home Secretary

Dear Nigel,

Since Tuesday the government's website www.police.uk has provided you with maps that show crime and anti-social behaviour at a street by street level right in your neighbourhood.
This means you can see, even from your mobile, exactly what crime is happening and where - right down to the level of your street corner. If you have concerns about the crime you see or how issues are dealt with, you can raise them with the police.
The interactive maps open the door on crime and police information. You can view crimes including burglary, violence and anti-social behaviour in a particular area by using a simple postcode search. There will also be details about your neighbourhood policing team and information about regular beat meetings.
Under Labour, the police were directed by Whitehall diktat. The police spent their time chasing centrally-defined targets and not responding to the needs of the local communities they were supposed to be serving. A recent report by the police inspectorate showed that only eleven per cent of police officers were visible and available to the general public at any one time.
The government is introducing a series of measures as part of our plan to fight crime:
Slashing bureaucracy: Steps already taken to save up to 800,000 hours of police time by scrapping the stop form and limiting stop and search reporting.
Removing all targets and setting the police just one goal: To cut crime.
Introducing directly-elected Police and Crime Commissioners: To ensure that police forces respond to the needs of local communities.
Providing transparent information: So local communities really know about crime in their area.
These crime maps which will reconnect the police and communities through the power of information are just the start. It's clear that this sort of transparent information is very popular as www.police.uk received millions of hits an hour on Tuesday.
I'm proud that England and Wales are world leaders in providing this sort of data. We want to build on this by working with the police and with you to explore how we can go further and faster and drive forward even greater transparency across crime, policing and justice.


NF adds: A Labour reply will be posted, if received. As many of our followers know, Brigg Blog isn't political, but as the Home Secretary has made reference to another party, we will be happy to afford Labour right of reply.