PCC Darryl Preston unveils new Police and Crime Plan

Police and Crime Commissioner Darryl Preston has today, 10^th December 2024, launched his new Police and Crime Plan, setting out his mission to build a safer Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.   

Following extensive consultation with residents, businesses and stakeholders, the Commissioner said his new Plan has been developed to focus on the issues local people have told him are important.   

The 2025-28 Plan, which received full endorsement from the Police and Crime Panel at the end of last month, is organised under an overall banner of ‘safe communities’ and features four key themes:  

• Early Intervention and Prevention - working with police and partners to keep communities safe;  

• Tackling Crime and Anti-social Behaviour – tackling issues such as road safety, rural crime, and business crime;  

• Supporting Victims and Witnesses - ensuring victims of crime have access to support services, and:  

• Building Trust and Confidence – ensuring that police officers act with integrity and always adhere to the highest ethical standards.   

Delivering on his promise to represent the voice of the people, the Commissioner said the content in his Plan had been steered by the feedback and views shared by residents and businesses during his extensive engagement activity across the county.   

More than 1,300 people contributed to an online survey consulting residents on the Commissioner’s draft priorities, which also collected their experiences of reporting crime and accessing support services.   

Additionally, the Commissioner consulted stakeholders and partners between September and November, including those providing services for victims and perpetrators of crime, to ensure his plans reflected the priorities of those agencies involved in responding to crime locally.   

In further work, the PCC held face-to-face meetings with farmers and the rural community, business representatives, those living with disabilities, individuals from minority communities, and young people from local secondary schools to discuss the content of his Plan and to gauge support.   

Darryl said: “This Plan is built by the public and is for the public. The areas of focus reflect the concerns residents and businesses have frequently raised since my first election in 2021 and will enable me to carry on building on the strong and positive foundations set through my first plan.   

“No single agency can solve the issues impacting our communities alone. This is why I have designed my Plan in collaboration with those partners who share my ambitions. Together, we will make a difference, taking whatever action is necessary to help people and businesses thrive and remain safe.”  

The Plan has been designed using a new brand created by Anglia Ruskin University graphic design student, Faria Ahktar which ensures it is clear and accessible.  

Cambridgeshire Constabulary has a record number of officers, many of which were recruited during the Commissioner’s first term.   

Listening to and acting on the needs of the public, the Commissioner has pledged to continue work to support the Chief Constable in delivering a more accessible and visible policing service and make the case for a fairer funding deal for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough by lobbying central government.   

Under his Early Prevention and Intervention priority, he said he would continue to work in partnership to prevent young people from getting drawn into serious violence, and would seek to embed a preventative approach to violence against women and girls (VAWG).   

In Tackling Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour, the Commissioner prioritised dealing with local issues, bringing offenders to justice and improving road safety, alongside other pressing issues identified by the public.   

Through his Supporting Victims and Witnesses priority, the Commissioner recommitted to ensuring all victims and witnesses of crime have access to appropriate services. 

And through Building Trust and Confidence, he also promised to continue to promote inclusivity, diversity and equality in policing through holding the Chief Constable to account.   

A copy of the Plan is available on the Commissioner’s website: A new Police and Crime Plan for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough   

Requests for printed copies can be sent to [email protected] or by telephoning 0300 333 3456.