Force launches drive to improve its service to the victims of crime

A 12-WEEK improvement programme is being introduced across South Yorkshire Police in an attempt to boost satisfaction levels among crime victims after research showed increasing numbers have been unhappy with the way their cases have been handled this year.

The force monitors satisfaction levels among officers and uses four different measurements to rate its own performance, with all falling between April and August this year.

Satisfaction levels vary, with the treatment experienced by victims from police performing best, with numbers of those satisfied hovering around 90 per cent.

However, the performance on the follow-up service victim experience is much worse, with figures down to around 60 per cent in August, from 70 per cent in April. Satisfaction levels for victims’ initial contact with police and the action taken are also monitored. Overall, the satisfaction level was 83 per cent.

South Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Dr Alan Billings, has now been told the force is introducing a 12-week plan called Satisfaction 90, with the objective of getting overall satisfaction levels up to 90 per cent by the end of that period.

One of the stumbling blocks for the force has been incidents where police do not attend after they have been contacted by the public, where satisfaction levels are currently 69 per cent among those calling for help.

Chief Constable Stephen Watson has told Dr Billings, in a report to his Public Accountability Board, that the force’s Crime Support Hub makes telephone-based investigations where crimes where officer attendance is not regarded as necessary, a decision based on potential ‘solvability’.