A pledge to maintain the task of 'delivering to our local communities the best police service in the country' has come today (March 19th) from the Chair of Cleveland Police Authority.
Councillor Dave McLuckie was speaking after he had been re-elected unopposed at the Authority's Annual General Meeting. Also elected unopposed as Vice-Chair was Mr Peter Race, who takes over from Mr Chris Coombs.
Councillor McLuckie said he was grateful for the confidence Authority members had shown by electing him as Chair for a fourth year and predicted that policing in Cleveland would continue to build on what he described as the remarkable progress made in recent years.
He added "Our key role as an Authority is to ensure that the public we serve receive efficient and effective policing -- and I believe that we can demonstrate that, working with the Chief Constable, his officers and staff, we have delivered.
"That is because we were determined to put our finances on a solid footing and then invest resources where they really mattered -- on the front-line, delivering the highest number of officers and community support officers in the force's history for the roll-out of neighbourhood policing and providing them with facilities and equipment to do the job. Cleveland now has some of the best buildings in the country and we have led the way in introducing mobile technology for officers on the beat.
"The results speak for themselves...when the current financial year ends in a few days' time we are set to deliver around a 20 per cent reduction in overall crime compared to the previous 12 months and we now enjoy the highest confidence level of any police force in the country.
"I know speak for every member of the Authority when I say that we have no intention of resting on our laurels and in the year ahead we will continue the drive for even more efficiency and effectiveness...including maintaining our record levels of staffing, launching our new air support unit, opening a new roads policing headquarters and setting up a new vulnerable persons unit.
"Above all we aim to keep driving forward the fight against crime, improving the quality of life for our local communities and supporting the men and women who have made Cleveland a force to be proud of."
The new Vice Chair Mr Peter Race joined the Authority as an Independent Member in 2004 and has played a key role in planning for the introduction of the new Cleveland air support unit which will come into operation on April 1st. He is retired emergency service manager and served with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution for almost 40 years, including acting as coxswain of the Teesmouth lifeboat from 1986 to 2003. He was awarded the MBE in 1993.