Record High Detection Rate

We are solving more crimes as demonstrated by our overall crime detection rate, which currently stands at a record high of 29 per cent.

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2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08	2008/09	2009/10
15.4%	16.8%	23.3%	24.4%	25.1%	27.3%	29.1% *to Feb

Detection of serious sexual assaults up by 5% and rising

This grading is inaccurate. The HMIC acknowledge in their commentary recent performance improvements, but this is not captured in the grading.

In fact, as the latest statistics show, we have seen significant progress.

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Mar-09	Sep-09	Dec-09	Jan-10
22%	24%	25.50%	27%

Poor methodology renders result invalid

The methodology of this assessment is a technocratic nonsense. The number of people involved is far too narrow for any meaningful conclusions to be drawn. Surveying less than 250 people, which equates to around 20 a month, makes a mockery of being representative considering the fact we have thousands of victims of crime on a monthly basis. The supposed gap in satisfaction could have been influenced by just three people surveyed in a year, which illustrates how utterly inadequate this assessment is.

Marian FitzGerald, Visting Professor of Criminology at the University of Kent and formerly head of race relations research in the Home Office has also expressed serious concerns about the validity of this measure.

She said: "There are major differences between Avon and Somerset and the other forces with which it is compared. This also casts doubt on the validity of inter-force comparisons.

"It is well established that confidence and satisfaction with the police varies considerably between different minority groups. So the crude BME results for any one area are likely to vary according to the specific ethnic make-up of the BME population in question."

Vote of Confidence

The HMIC assesses our progress as stable. The latest British Crime Survey found that public confidence is improving. It showed that public confidence in Avon and Somerset Police has risen by nearly 10 per cent, the third highest increase in the country. This has been driven by effective neighbourhood policing.

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Mar-09	Jun-09	Sep-09
51%	56.10%	57.20%

Winning the battle against Anti-social Behaviour (ASB)

Tackling ASB is a top priority and we, working with partner organisations, are taking action to stop it quickly and effectively. Supporting people who experience ASB and keeping them informed about what we are doing about it will help further improve our performance.

HMIC conducted a crude survey of a very small number (30) of repeat victims and we therefore dispute the validity of some of their findings.

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Mar-09	Jun-09	Sep-09
14.40%	13.30%	11.20%

Second worse-affected force in the country on funding deficit

The HMIC assessment of Medium/High is misleading. It is a nationally recognised fact that Avon and Somerset Police are underfunded and the assessment acknowledges this. Avon and Somerset is the second worse-affected force in the country in terms of the government's funding formula, which means we have faced a total funding shortfall of around £60million for the last five years.

It has fallen to the local council tax payer to help make up that shortfall.

Total cost of policing (Most Similar Group Average)

Measure	ASPA Score	MSG Average	+/-%
Cost per head of Pop	£184	£183	+0.5%

Within our MSG (Most Similar Group of police forces - whose community and policing profiles are vastly different to our own), our cost of policing is just 0.5% or £1 above the average.

However, when we compare with a national picture that takes account of other more similar forces, what we spend on policing is 8.9% below the national average. We believe we provide extremely good value for money. If we were to be fully funded, our annual cost of policing in 2009/10 would have been £191 per head, which is still 5.4% below the national average.

Total cost of policing (National Average)

Measure	ASPA Score	National Average	+/-%
Cost per head of Pop	£184	£202	-8.9%

The community says it's willing to pay more to protect policing

Each year we lose £12 million a year that we are assessed to need for policing Avon Somerset*. This has forced us to become increasingly reliant on council tax. Before setting this year’s policing part of the council tax, the Police Authority commissioned Ipsos Mori to ask residents how much they were prepared to pay for policing. 82% said they wanted to see a council tax level set which would maintain or improve policing services, an increase far above the £161 which was finally set.

If the government grant shortfall were made up, the average cost per household would drop to £140, which would put us much lower than our peer average.

Measure	ASPA Score	MSG Average	+/-% Average
Cost per household	£161	£147	+9.5%

Nationally, the picture alters to 2.5% above average.

Measure	ASPA Score	National Average	+/-% Average
Cost per household	£161	£157	+2.5%

*A funding formula is calculated by the government based upon relative needs within each Police Authority area. Avon and Somerset is identified by this calculation as being under-resourced by nearly £12M a year. The amount we actually receive is scaled back to ensure that all Police Authorities receive a minimum grant increase, this funding system is known as 'damping'. The impact is the largest of any "Shire" Police Authority and by the end of the end of 2010/11 we would have lost nearly £60m due to the funding formula.