Surrey Public First - Surrey Police - With You Making Surrey Safer

Putting the Surrey Public First

As part of our pledge to put the Surrey Public First, we are constantly seeking ways of improving our service and getting the most out of our resources.

The force remains committed to the target of recruiting an additional 200 police constables with almost 100 added in the last year and plans for 100 more by 2012.

To meet this target and reduce the budget deficit, a series of change programmes have been taking place within the force including cuts to the number of senior leaders and non-operational staff as well as a review of all police buildings.

The review found that many of Surrey's smaller police stations are old, expensive to maintain and little used by members of the public. A survey conducted by the Surrey Police Authority early last year also found that less than a quarter of respondents believed keeping local stations was more important than maintaining frontline officer numbers.

Proposals to find alternative bases for neighbourhood teams within local communities and share buildings with partner organisations have now been presented to the Surrey Police Authority and are being implemented to reduce the budget deficit and invest in more police constables on the streets.

Why are we doing this?

Retaining old police buildings across the force costs £2.4 million a year with the average cost to the force of £82 per visit – the equivalent of three hours of a police officer's time. In comparison the vast majority of residents contact Surrey Police by telephone with 2,629 calls received on average per day at a total running cost to the force of £7 per call. Under the proposed changes to our buildings, the force is looking to save the cash equivalent of £52 million over the next ten years.

Chief Constable Mark Rowley said: "If we are to meet the challenge of dealing with drastic financial cuts against a backdrop of rising crime during a recession we have to make tough decisions.

"While many other forces are cutting the number of frontline police officers I am determined not to do this in Surrey and have launched a series of change programmes to tackle the demands we face.

"Already we have made cuts to the number of senior leaders and back-office staff in a bid to balance our books and strengthen the frontline. We are also in a position where some of our buildings no longer meet the needs of modern policing. By sharing premises with local authorities and moving into cheaper alternatives we can save costs and help to reach our target of increasing the number of officers on the streets by up to 200.

"More frontline police is what the public consistently tell us they want to see and these officers will work not just in neighbourhood teams across the county but in key crime areas such as sexual offences and cross-border crime - tackling the threats posed by criminals who see Surrey as a prime target.

"This is about increasing the number of local officers not removing them. Surrey has the highest level of public confidence and we have worked hard to reduce levels of serious violent and serious acquisitive crime. Investing in the frontline is vital if we are to continue to achieve this."

Peter Williams, Chairman of Surrey Police Authority, said: "Residents contact the police differently today than they did in the past. As part of a wider re-organisation of the force, which aims to release funds for up to 200 new constables, we are working to replace many of our stations and offices with more cost-effective alternatives. We have undertaken significant consultation with local residents and are identifying new arrangements that will meet the needs of residents and the police for the long-term."

Invisible policing

Our Safer Neighbourhood Team officers are the most visible on the streets of Surrey, but there is a lot more going on behind the scenes. Click here to discover the responsibilities and areas of work of our other units, departments and specialist teams.