States of Jersey Police: Annual Performance Report 2012.

STATES OF JERSEY POLICE

ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT

2012

CONTENTS

Page Foreword by the Chief Officer   2 Crime in Jersey 2012   4 Key Comparisons   5 Major Operations and Investigations   7 Policing the Night-Time Economy   8 Policing in the Community   9 Financial Crime   12 Road Safety   12 Targeted Support and Intervention   14 Public Service and Accountability   14 Delivering a Service to be Proud of   15 Value for Money   16 2012 Statistics   17

FOREWORD BY THE CHIEF OFFICER

I  am  pleased  to  present  the  States  of  Jersey  Police  Annual  Report  for  2012  during which time the levels of recorded  crime fell by 4%, further building on the  13% reduction achieved in 2011.  

These  improvements  would  not  have  been  possible  without  the  professionalism,  dedication  and  hard  work  of  all  officers  and  police  staff  based  here  at  Police  Headquarters.  Equally in today's complex world, it is  impossible  to  police  effectively  in  isolation, and so I would like to thank the  increasing  number  of  partner  agencies,  interested  groups  and  individuals  who  we  work  alongside  on  a  daily  basis.   In particular, it is important that I single out the high levels of support and commitment provided by our Honorary Police Force colleagues.

Professionally, I have been pleased to see that a number of our planned changes and initiatives have contributed to the overall reduction in crime levels. These changes are the  result  of  a  great  deal  of  thought,  planning  and  hard  work.   However,  I acknowledge that the economy and other external factors may also have contributed to the downward trend in recorded crime.

In 2012 we continued to soften' our image and promote a more approachable and customer-focused style of policing. Amongst other things, we maintained our white helmets, police bicycles and dedicated Town Policing Unit. We have also taken the opportunity to listen more carefully to the specific issues within each parish to help us better  understand  their  particular  needs.   Our  engagement  with  parishioners, businesses, specialist groups, charities and other States departments remain a key priority and the successful reduction in youth offending is a good example of how we can all work together successfully on common issues.

However, we were less accommodating or supportive when dealing with criminals during 2012. We continued to take a tough stance against prolific offenders and many are now serving custodial sentences at La Moye Prison. Equally, we have successfully used intelligence-led policing techniques to  prevent  drugs importations and other serious crimes. We have also had a number of notable successes bringing offenders to justice and run successful operations to reduce burglary, anti-social behaviour, and improve road safety. We have continued to invest in our dealings with domestic violence and child-abuse investigations, as well as our capability to extract evidence from computer hard drives and mobile devices. Equally, in response to advances in technology and the potential for internet-based crime, we have laid the foundations for, and now anticipate recruiting our first dedicated Cyber-Crime Investigator.

We  have  achieved  this  within  the  financial  constraints  of  the  Comprehensive Spending Review process, in relation to which 2012 saw a further reduction in our operating  budget.  During  the  same  time  we  have  increased  our  visible  presence around the Island and this has been achieved through greater financial control whilst at the same time improving our processes and efficiency. Such modernisation is set to continue into the future.

I firmly believe that, whilst remaining a small police force, we perform favourably when compared to our UK counterparts. I also believe this is not just restricted to the Police but applies across much of Island life. Whilst there are many contributing factors, the obvious pride and strong sense of community continues to inspire me. In particular how we all work together to support each other and volunteer our time so generously are key factors that enable ordinary people to achieve such extraordinary results. Whilst it remains important for us all to challenge and modernise our services as well as drive down our costs, it also remains vital that we do so in a way that protects and reinforces our pride in the Island and sense of collective responsibility

Mike Bowron QPM

CRIME IN JERSEY DURING 2012

3,833 crimes were recorded in Jersey last year. This figure represents a 4% reduction on 2011's total. This was the second year in a row that fewer than 4,000 crimes have been recorded and 2012's total was the lowest since States of Jersey Police adopted the National Crime Recording Standards 11 years ago (see Table 1 below).

Table 1. Recorded crime 2006-2012[1]

Types of offending

Figure 1 below shows a breakdown of all crime recorded in 2012. The pattern across categories has remained more or less the same over the last few years.

Offences against the person

31%

Offences against property

20%

Drug offences 5%

Other offences Acquisitive crime  3%

41%

Figure 1. Recorded crime categories 2012.

Acquisitive crime: This covers all forms of theft, burglary and financial crime. Acquisitive crime fell by 9% in 2012 compared to 2011 with bicycle theft accounting for most of this reduction (down 29%). There were also 20 fewer car thefts in 2012 compared with the previous year.

Offences against the person: This category includes all assaults (either physical or sexual), cruelty to children, harassment, robbery and serious public disorder. There was a 7% increase in this kind of crime in 2012 with an additional 31 minor assaults, 23 more serious assaults and 17 more assaults on police or prison officers than was the case in 2011.

Offences against property: This category covers vandalism, arson and tampering with vehicles. There was a 9% reduction in property offences in 2012 with most of this being accounted for by the 64 fewer instances of damage to vehicles.

Drug offences: these include the possession, supply, importation and manufacture of illegal substances. In 2012 levels of recorded drug offences fell by 8% to 205 instances. Our drugs policing strategy remained focussed on drugs supply networks and drugs with a street value of approximately £600,000 were seized in 2012. The most commonly encountered drug was cannabis with a street value of approximately £300,000. As in previous years, two-thirds of crime occurred in St. Helier whilst fewer than two crimes per week were recorded in eight of the Island's 11 other parishes.

2,500

2010 2011 2012 2,000

1,500

1,000

No. of recorded crimes

500

0

Acquisitive Offences against Offences against Drug offences Other offences

crime the person property

Figure 2. Recorded crime by category 2010-2012.

KEY COMPARISONS

Research suggests that people tend to worry most about crimes they can envisage happening to them, such as burglary, vehicle crime, robbery, or physical violence. This section shows how Jersey fared with regard to these crimes in 2012.

Burglary  

297 burglaries were recorded in 2012; the lowest annual total for at least 10 years and a 22% reduction on 2011's figure.

Compared to the 43 Police Force areas in England and Wales, Jersey had the second lowest number of burglaries per 1,000 population.

Key points in 2012:  

• The number of burglaries where an offender actually gained entry into somebody's house or flat fell from 118 in 2011 to 98. Approximately half (47) of these premises were insecure at the time[2].
• In addition, a quarter of all burglaries in 2012 involved other domestic property such as garages, garden sheds or communal areas. Again, over half of these incidents targeted insecure premises.

Vehicle Crime  

There was an 11% reduction in vehicle crime in 2012 from the 705 recorded offences in 2011 to 628. This was the lowest annual total for at least ten years and compared to the 43 Police Force areas in England and Wales, Jersey had the second lowest number of vehicle crimes per 1,000 population.

Whilst there was a small increase in the theft of items from vehicles (164 vs. 155 in 2011), there was a 21% drop in people actually Taking and Driving Away (TADA) vehicles (74 vs. 94). Malicious damage to vehicles and the tampering with vehicles' fixtures and fittings also fell in number in 2012; there was a 14% reduction in crime of this nature. The decline in spates of damage and tampering continued in 2012: in 2011 there were 22 weeks where more than 10 of these types of incidents were recorded compared with only 9 weeks in 2012.

Robbery  

Historically Jersey has low levels of robbery and only six were recorded in 2012 compared to seven in 2011. None of 2012's robberies was against businesses and Jersey continues to have a lower rate of robbery per 1,000 of the population than any of the 43 Police Force areas in England and Wales.

Violent Crime  

Violence can be separated into that which occurs in public spaces and that which takes place in the home.

One hundred and sixty one grave and criminal assaults were reported in 2012; 23 more than in the previous year. 93 assaults were recorded as taking place in public places in Jersey compared to 85 in 2011. There was also an increase in serious assaults within both the night time economy in 2012, (68 in 2012 vs. 51 in 2011); and the home (68 in 2012 vs. 53 in 2011).

Overall, 53 of all the serious assaults or a third of the total were cases of domestic abuse between adults. This is up compared to the 42 such incidents recorded in 2011.

Definitions of assault in Jersey are different compared to England and Wales and so it is not possible to benchmark violent crime rates with other constabularies.

Detecting Crime  

We distinguish between two categories of detected crime: sanction and non-sanction detections. If a crime has received a sanction detection it means that the offender has appeared in court or attended a parish hall enquiry. An administrative detection means the police have a suspect but the case does not progress further. An example of this would be where the victim may not wish to proceed with a prosecution.

Jersey's sanction detection rate' remained at 34% for 2012 and compares to a national average across England and Wales of 27% for the year. The overall clear up' rate in Jersey in 2012 was 37%.

MAJOR OPERATIONS AND INVESTIGATIONS

Our high-visibility approach to policing continued in 2012 but as always we continued with intelligence-led operations against serious and organised crime. Examples of the nature and outcome of some of these complex, behind-the-scenes investigations are detailed below:

February: A proactive investigation was launched against a local offender with a history of violence. The individual is now awaiting trial at Royal Court.

March: Following intelligence received from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre and the FBI, a man was arrested for the possession of indecent images of children. This individual was shown to be the administrator of a website used for the distribution of such imagery and was later sentenced by the Royal Court to eight years' imprisonment.

April: Following a drug-related attack on an individual in St. Helier and in broad daylight a full firearms team was deployed and arrested a UK national with a history of serious assaults and weapons offences. The offender received a five-year custodial sentence following his trial in the Royal Court.

May: A man received two years' imprisonment at the Royal Court for a serious domestic assault, whilst another man was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for drug trafficking offences.

June: Following an intelligence-led operation two men were sentenced to four and five and a half years' imprisonment for numerous drug trafficking offences.

July: A man was sentenced in the Royal Court to three years' imprisonment and placed on the Sex Offenders Register following an indecent assault on a female who was walking home from a nightclub.

August: As the result of a covert operation in relation to a series of high-value burglaries two individuals were apprehended and charged with various offences and subsequently sentenced by the Royal Court to two and a half years' and three years' imprisonment.

November: A local offender with a history of acquisitive offences was arrested for a series of burglaries under a targeted operation and received a 21-month sentence following a Royal Court appearance.

December: A man with a history of violence received a four-year custodial sentence from the Royal Court for grave and criminal assault. In addition and following a targeted operation, four individuals were arrested in possession of 18 kilos of cannabis resin with an estimated street value of £180,000 as well as a large amount of cash.

POLICING THE NIGHT-TIME ECONOMY

During 2012, St. Helier remained the focus of Jersey's night-time economy and throughout the year hundreds of thousands of local people and visitors enjoyed the Island's night life without incident.

However the close proximity of pubs and clubs, limited late-night transport and existing licensing laws can create opportunities for alcohol-related violence and disorder, as large numbers of people disperse onto the streets at peak periods.

Achieving a sustained reduction in night-time-economy-related offending will require a joined-up approach across the whole island. This ranges from the police working with public transport providers and the owners of pubs and clubs, to shop keepers, parents and community leaders all of whom can help us maintain the current reduction in youth-drinking offences.

In 2012 we continued with Operation Visible and our no-nonsense approach to violent behaviour. These were also supported by police visits to licensed premises. At the same time, we also started to increase CCTV coverage in St. Helier and we plan to trial the use of body worn cameras which have helped to reduce similar violent behaviour in other jurisdictions.

What was achieved?

Whilst there was a slight reduction in the number of licensing visits to town premises in 2012 compared to 2011 (1,456 vs. 1,581), 2012's total was still twice that of 2009 and licensing patrols will continue to be an important part of our approach to policing the night-time economy.

Our on-going commitment to making St. Helier 's night life safer resulted in a 7% reduction in the number of public order offences in 2012 (624 vs. 670 for 2011).

Whilst the number of violent crimes[3] in the streets, pubs and clubs of St. Helier rose slightly in 2012 to 316 (292 for 2011), this figure remains significantly below that of 2010 (406). There were 68 grave and criminal assaults in the night-time economy during 2012 and fortunately only 17 resulted in serious injury and less than half involved a stranger attack.

POLICING IN THE COMMUNITY

Policing our Island

A great deal of thought has gone into addressing local issues, some of which have been police-led and others have been initiatives that the States of Jersey Police has supported. Working with our partners and the broader Island community has been a priority during 2012 and will continue to be so in the future. This approach is also realising significant benefits, an example of which is the joint initiative across multiple agencies that has significantly reduced youth offending.

Policing our Parishes

In addition to these broader strategies and plans, we were also committed to providing a style of policing that suited the needs of parish life.

Our working relationship with the Island's Honorary Police Forces remains vital to our capability and the Island's overall safety. Last year saw a number of joint initiatives between the States of Jersey Police and the Honorary Police, as well as an increase in joint training, intelligence and information sharing. We will continue to strengthen our ties with the Honorary Police and build on the strong foundations of mutual trust and respect that exist today.

In addition we sought to develop stronger links within each parish community by continuing to provide a dedicated Inspector and patrol team. The aim of this geographical approach to policing was to develop a better understanding of Parish issues. By making our officers more visible and accessible within the Parishes, be it on foot, bicycle, motorbike or in a patrol car, residents have been able to tell us about local issues whilst also having the opportunity to challenge us if they did not receive the expected standards of service. We also encourage these dedicated officers and teams to integrate within parish life and become involved in fundraising, sporting and charity events.

Our bicycle patrols are now a regular sight in the Parishes.

Special events

Last year was the Force's 60th anniversary and we marked the occasion with a party here at Police Headquarters where staff, parents and students of Mont à l'Abbé School were our welcomed guests. The year also saw the Olympic Torch visit the Island and we were honoured to provide an escort as the flame toured the Parishes.

The procession carrying the Olympic Torch passes by the Waterfront

Finally, their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall came to Jersey in July and uniformed officers formed a high-visibility presence for the duration of their stay.

Her Royal Highness enjoys a moment with the crowd watched over by an officer from our Town Policing Unit

Town Policing Unit

2011 saw the introduction of the Town Policing Unit and in 2012 was its first full year of operation. The Town Policing Unit has been one of our key successes and provides the platform for our high-visibility approach to daytime policing. By being visible, approachable and by working more closely with local businesses, we have been able to reduce anti-social behaviour and shoplifting, as well as exchange information that either helps to prevent crime, or brings offenders to justice. Our common goal is to support a vibrant, busy and safe St. Helier Town Centre.

Anti-social behaviour

Anti-social behaviour, in whatever form, can cause a great deal of distress, harm people's perception of safety and affect their quality of life. As such, tackling anti- social behaviour remains a high priority for the Force.

We have continued to use a range of strategies to prevent anti-social behaviour and to deal with it when it does occur. Intelligence-led policing has allowed us to use historic information and current intelligence to anticipate and deploy officers to areas at high risk for anti-social behaviour.

In addition, regularly patrolling known hot-spots' has not only deterred anti-social behaviour, but also meant that our response to such incidents has been immediate. Again, the longer-term strategy is centred on working together to understand better this form of public disorder.

FINANCIAL CRIME

Jersey requires a financial crimes unit in order to comply with anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing recommendations issued by the Financial Actions Task Force.

In 2012, the Joint Financial Crime Unit (JFCU) received 1,745 suspicious activity reports from the local finance industry. In addition, 406 requests for assistance were made, the majority from the UK, and intelligence was shared where appropriate, and 421 miscellaneous information reports were submitted to the Unit.

During 2012 there were 25 live investigations, which included 15 new cases. The JFCU were responsible for 13 arrests, 14 search warrants and 57 production orders during 2012. The Unit brought successful prosecutions including a number of individuals for a complex USA property fraud and another individual for perverting the course of justice and who was linked to a major money laundering case.

ROAD SAFETY

Trafficrelated incidents can be reduced by a combination of education, enforcement and engineering, which is why a partnership approach is so important to improving road safety within the Island. In 2012 we have played our part by focusing on the Fatal 4' road safety behaviours (seatbelts; speeding; drink and drug driving; and mobile phones). In early 2012, we also launched a road safety initiative (Operation Road Runner) to reduce the number of serious accidents in the Island.

What was achieved?  

Overall, 2012 saw a reduction of 10 (3%) RTC casualties (339 vs. 349 in 2011). However, during the same period there was an increase of eight serious and fatal RTC injuries (57 vs. 49 in 2011). Fortunately, the long-term trend indicates an on-going reduction in incidents of this nature. For example, 30 years ago (1982) there were nearly 17 serious or fatal injuries per 10,000 vehicles, whereas in 2012 this had reduced to fewer than five.

Table 2. RTC Casualty trends: 2010-2012

Our specialist officers are trained to investigate the circumstances surrounding all reported road traffic collisions.

There were 55 drink-drive RTCs in 2012 compared to the previous year's low figure of 44. However, 2012's total was below that of 2010 (67).

Table 3. Fatal four' and other traffic offences.

Fatal four  2011  2012  Difference

TARGETED SUPPORT AND INTERVENTION

Domestic Abuse

In 2012, 11% of recorded crime was linked to domestic abuse and throughout the year we attended 1,048 domestic incidents. Over half of all domestic incidents involved children and, again, over half also involved alcohol. Working with students and the community, we designed a domestic violence campaign that was seen on television,

the internet and social media. Our 2012 Domestic Abuse and Violence campaign focused on the harm done to children living within an abusive relationship. The outcome was that during the Christmas campaign domestic abuse and violence referrals increased by a third.

Prolific Offenders

We continue to identify and target those offenders who are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime in the Island. In 2012 we used our intelligence systems to target 22 individuals who between them were identified as suspects or offenders for 140 offences including burglary, robbery, supplying drugs, serious assaults and possession of offensive weapons. These individuals then became a priority for targeted policing by the whole Force. Four of the individuals received prison sentences and a further 11 received probation orders, community service or binding over orders.

Witness Care Unit

The Witness Care Unit recognises the importance of giving the best possible service to victims and witnesses of crime. The unit was established in 2011 and 2012 saw its first full year of operation. The Unit provides contact and support to people, minimises the stress of attending court, and keeps clients up to date and informed at all times.

The Unit is staffed by volunteers who give a lot of time each year to help us in our work. Their contribution is invaluable and we hope that it remains a mutually beneficial arrangement. A witness care volunteer, said:

"The opportunity to be part of something that gives something back to the community is special. Our work seeks to reduce the opportunity for gaps between judicial process and victims and witnesses, ensuring updates are provided at each stage of the enquiry."

Underpinning the work of the Witness Care Unit is the Witness Charter which was revised and re-launched by the Bailiff during 2012. The Charter sets out 33 standards of service that victims can expect to receive from the Criminal Justice agencies after a crime has been reported to the police. This is now an integral part of the Jersey Criminal Justice System.

PUBLIC SERVICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Responding to incidents

Our emergency response targets help to ensure that we deal with situations and issues quickly and effectively. We are streamlining our call-handling to make it easier to report crime, contact your geographical officer or to make general enquiries. In addition, we are also looking to improve the quantity and quality of advice and information on our website.

Our presence on social media

The States of Jersey Police launched dedicated social media sites at the beginning of 2012 as a means to engage further with Islanders and we currently have around 4,500 followers on Facebook and 2,000 on Twitter.

We see social media as important ways to communicate quickly and effectively with Islanders. They allow us to highlight criminal activity, traffic problems, and to pass on important crime-prevention messages. For example, during 2012 we were able to reach 37,000 people quickly through social media to help with a missing person appeal.

You can visit our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/StatesofJerseyPolice and follow us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/JerseyPolice

DELIVERING A SERVICE TO BE PROUD OF

States of Jersey Police send quality-of-service surveys to selected[4] victims of crime. These ask about the service we provide and are used to improve how we deal with those who have reported crimes to us. In 2012 we sent out 1,910 surveys of which 22% were completed and returned.

There are four key questions in the survey that we use to monitor our performance. The first of these relates to call handling – how we deal with victims over the telephone. The next concerns the service provided by the officer who attends the incident. The third asks how well we have kept in touch with the victim since they reported their crime, whereas the last item is a general question about our overall policing of the Island.

In relation to call handling and attending the incident, 2012's survey figures are as follows:

These are more or less the levels of satisfaction shown in 2011. The item concerning feedback on the investigation is shown below. Again, these figures show little change from those of the previous year.

The question relating to our overall policing of the Island showed a slight improvement on victims' perceptions in 2011.[5]

VALUE FOR MONEY

Last year saw a further reduction in our budget as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review. Wherever possible we have looked to streamline our operations, increase productivity and reduce bureaucracy. Our focus is to maintain high levels of Island safety, provide a good service to Islanders but minimise the cost to the public purse.

We worked closely with our Criminal Justice partners to look at ways to rationalise and automate disclosure processes. We have also reorganised our operating model and will continue with a number of other initiatives that will improve our service whilst also reducing cost.

2012 STATISTICS

 Under law we are obliged to provide the following information in our Annual Report:

Custody  

There were 2,669 people detained in police custody during 2012. This figure includes people who were detained more than once and represents a 6% reduction on 2011's total. Last year, six individuals were detained in custody on ten or more occasions.

PPCE Searches  

Under the Police Procedures and Criminal Evidence (Jersey) Law 2003 (PPCE) the Police are required to publish information on specific searches:

Intimate Searches and PPCE vehicle checks

There were nine intimate searches carried out by a registered medical practitioner in police custody during 2012. There were no vehicle checks conducted under Article 13 of the Police Procedures and Criminal Evidence (Jersey) Law 2003.

PPCE Stop and Search

The total number of searches each month during 2012 for stolen articles, offensive weapons and for other prohibited items is shown in Table 3 below. Figures in brackets refer to the number of people arrested as a consequence of having been searched.

Table 3. PPCE searches 2012

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