Over the course of the last week, I’ve gone from meeting students on the Uniformed Public Service Course at Gateshead College figuring out their career paths, to speaking to a room full of the latest recruits to join Northumbria Police.

It’s always a diary highlight when I get to welcome our new starters and hear from interesting people from different backgrounds - all wanting to make a difference on the frontline. My thanks go to all our new recruits for choosing a profession that helps others, and I hope a rewarding career lies ahead.

One of the top priorities in my plan for safer streets and stronger communities is ensuring we have an engaged and responsive police force. People want visible, accessible officers that will deter offending and reassure residents they are being kept safe. I’m pleased Government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will support us in delivering this locally. Plans as to what this will look like in Northumbria are underway, and I look forward to updating you soon.

Yours, Susan
PRIORITY 1: ENGAGED AND RESPONSIVE POLICE FORCE

NEW FORCE OPERATING MODEL MAKING A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE

It's been a year since Northumbria Police implemented a new force operating model (FOM).

We’ve seen response times, for both urban and rural neighbourhoods, improve - meaning officers are getting to jobs quicker.

There’s also been a 16% fall in ASB across the force. The new way of working aimed to improve local responses and work closer with our communities and numbers like this show it’s doing just that.

I'm really pleased to see the positive impact this is having on victim satisfaction thanks to swifter action and improved communication and support.
PRIORITY 2: CRIME AND ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

IMPROVING OUR CITY CENTRE WITH CITYSAFE

I remember CitySafe launching in May last year when I started as Police and Crime Commissioner.

The multi-agency hub based in the heart of the city is made up of colleagues from Northumbria Police, Newcastle City Council, NE1, housing, Waythrough and more.

Businesses, retailers and locals said they wanted to see crime reduced, business confidence improved and feelings of safety increased.

The all under one roof approach has certainly been making a real difference, with 100 arrests made since it went live.
PRIORITY 3: SERIOUS VIOLENCE AND ORGANISED CRIME

TACKLING SERIOUS VIOLENCE THROUGH OUR TRAINEE DETECTIVE PROGRAMME

The Trainee Detective Programme is always a hit and since its launch last year it has given over 80 students the opportunity to step into the role of detectives. The initiative has been developed by Northumbria Police in partnership with the Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit to help educate young people on the devastating impact of knife crime. The programme ends with a celebration event where the latest participants are recognised for their hard work and commitment to the topic.

It was great to attend and hear from young people who have taken part over the past year, as well as seeing some of the original participants return as Ambassadors – this truly highlighted the lasting impact of this programme. Read more here.
PRIORITY 4: REDUCING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

BREAKING THE SILENCE, BREAKING THE BARRIERS

Earlier this month Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland held an event at Sunderland University to share the findings of some great research by their activists. They’ve pulled together a report on the barriers women and girls have faced when sharing experiences or seeking support. It was an ideal opportunity to discuss how we can all work together to break barriers and open routes to support for survivors of sexual violence. You can read their report summary here.
PRIORITY 5: HATE CRIME AND COMMUNITY COHESION

COMMISSIONER’S COMMUNITY FUND UPDATE

Media Savvy CIC along with Changing Lives and Northumbria Justice Services are getting ready to roll out an important project following their successful bid to my Commissioner’s Community Fund.

They'll be delivering equality and anti-hate rehabilitation workshops aimed at women caught up in the civil disorder that shook the North East last summer. The sessions will cover diversity, challenging stereotypes, recognising misinformation, and how to be an ‘upstander’ against discrimination. Read more here.
PRIORITY 6: VICTIMS AND JUSTICE

SUPPORTING EX-PRISONERS WITH RESETTLEMENT IS HOW WE REDUCE RE-OFFENDING

On a visit to HMP Northumberland, I was impressed with how well the police, prison and the fantastic Nepacs team work together but we all agreed more needs to be done to help prevent reoffending.

Our police are totally committed to catching criminals and getting them before the courts to seek justice for victims, but once they’ve served their sentence time, they need to have a plan. If an offender is released and wants to turn their life around - we need to support this - if they don’t have a roof over their head, a job to go to - it’s likely they’ll turn to crime once again, which is something none of us want. Read more here.
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