Shape of Policing in Gloucestershire Changes from Midnight Tonight

March 31 2011

The shape of policing in Gloucestershire is changing from midnight tonight.

Chief Constable Tony Melville said that the needs of local communities are at the forefront of the new policing approach, with up to an additional 15 per cent of officers being moved into visible roles.

 “The structure of the Constabulary has been under review since Autumn 2009, and it is the most significant restructure of policing in the county since 1998,” Mr Melville said.  

“The time is right for a new approach to policing in Gloucestershire, because we want to be at the heart of our communities and be more visible and accessible than we’ve ever been before.

“We’ve based the restructure on putting our officers in the places and at the times when there is most demand for our services.

“There is a long and successful history of policing in Gloucestershire, and crime levels are still extremely low, but the new structure will improve our ability to keep people safe from harm, make us more efficient and effective and increase confidence in us, the local police.”

The new structure sees the introduction of:

• Six Local Policing Areas (LPAs): Cheltenham, Tewkesbury, Gloucester, Forest, Cotswolds and Stroud.  Each will be led by a Superintendent.
• Nine Local Policing Teams (LPTs): Two in both Cheltenham and Gloucester, and one each in Tewkesbury, Stroud, Dursley, the Forest of Dean and the Cotswolds.  All LPTs will be led by Inspectors.
• Nine response ‘hubs’, all based on the areas covered by LPTs and again led by Inspectors.
• Force command structures known as: Local Policing; Community Contact; Service Transformation; Protective Services; Finance and People.

The restructure has the full support of Gloucestershire’s Police Authority, whose Chairman Cllr Rob Garnham said: “I am extremely pleased at the outcome of this review and it has the full support of the Police Authority. 

“The review has been long and complex and has left no area untouched so that we ensure it is exactly what is required in this day and age.  It provides the continuing presence of Neighbourhood Policing, which we know is much liked by the public, with a response capability that meets the demands modern day policing. 

“The review also helps us to meet the financial challenges and need for savings facing every Constabulary in the country. I would like to thank everyone in the Constabulary for their efforts in getting to this point and their continued commitment to making this new structure a real success”.