19 May 20004
Bureaucracy-busting measures have saved thousands of hours of police time, Home Secretary David Blunkett said today.
In his speech to rank and file officers at the annual Police Federation conference, David Blunkett also called on them to work with the government and local communities in rebuilding a culture of respect.
He said:
"The eroding of a culture of respect in modern society is a particular problem for the police and all too often makes the law-abiding citizen feel they are in a minority.
"As a society, we need to tackle this and both government and the police have a key role to play here."
Mr Blunkett said that he looked forward to working with officers on the second stage of police reform, with neighbourhood policing playing a key part.
Police numbers are at an all time high of 138,155 officers, funding has increased by almost one third since 2000 and a drive against bureaucracy has removed nearly 7,000 forms from officers’ working lives.
Officers are supported by 3,500 community support officers, who are tackling low-level disorder and promoting public safety.
He added:
"We are determined to get the best out of our record numbers of officers and ensure that they are freed up to spend time in their core role - tackling crime and providing reassurance to the public."
The Home Secretary also said that the government is giving police the tools they need to do their job:
"The challenge now is to support them in using these powers to ensure we continue to cut crime, more offenders are punished, re-offending is reduced and rehabilitation works."
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