Archived decisions

DRAFT REVISED REGIONAL SPATIAL STRATEGY : THE SOUTH-EAST PLAN - RESPONSE OF HAMPSHIRE POLICE AUTHORITY

1. Hampshire Police Authority has made joint representations with Hampshire Constabulary upon the Draft South East Plan as part of the public consultation process which ran from 31 March to 23 June, 2006.

2. The Joint Representations recorded the essential role of Hampshire Police Authority and Hampshire Constabulary within the communities of both Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and described how the Plan fails to address the impact of increased housing growth and development infrastructure on police services. The Plan also fails to consider the financial implications to Police Authorities as a whole if they are to continue to maintain and provide the same efficient and effective level of service for communities as today.

3. The Joint Representations recorded further that, it is the view of both Hampshire Police Authority and Hampshire Constabulary, that these are critical omissions, which given the significant level of proposed development within their policing area will undermine the sustainability of new communities and socio-economic prosperity of the region if not appropriately identified within the Plan. The Joint Representations evidenced the need to integrate the principles of "designing out crime", community safety and policing objectives within the Plan. The Joint Representations also recommended some essential changes to the Plan to ensure safe and prosperous communities can be successfully delivered.

4. Hampshire Police Authority and Hampshire Constabulary have also been invited to take part in two of the debates at the Examination in Public commencing November, 2006 on "Social, Cultural and Health" and, more importantly, "Infrastructure and Demand Management" and has submitted Statements for both of these debates which also have the strong support of the remaining four Police Authorities in the South East Region (Thames Valley, Kent, Surrey, and Sussex).

5. The Authorities believe that there is a strong need to ensure that policing objectives are integrated with those of education, health, social services, environment and other community services within the Draft South East Plan to ensure the community needs and infrastructure requirements of policing are continued to be met within all parts of the South East region.

6. Hampshire Police Authority and Hampshire Constabulary do not believe that the draft South East Plan strikes an appropriate balance between encouraging demand management/making the best use of existing infrastructure and seeking the provision of new infrastructure. They both contend that the regional residential and development growth proposed within the Plan will have a significant impact upon policing requirements and new infrastructure needs, in particular transport and community infrastructure.

7. All of the South East Regional Police Authorities believe the proposed regional growth shall have a significant impact upon transport infrastructure. There are already significant population growth areas within parts of the South East Region from the growth in immigration rates. The proposed regional growth will only exacerbate this growth and mean that existing infrastructure is inadequate or wrongly located affecting the ability of the Authorities to continue to provide and maintain an efficient and effective police service across the region.

8. Inadequate or wrongly located transport networks will affect the police service response times to incidents and the general policing of the transport network.

9. With regard to the resourcing of infrastructure requirements, Hampshire Police Authority and Hampshire Constabulary believe that substantial population growth and development will place additional demand on police resources in terms of the need for additional capital investment in new police facilities, for example new police stations, additional cells etc and also an increase in revenue expenditure to support and fund additional police officers, police community support officers, specialist police officers and police staff.

10. There is no doubt that existing infrastructure and resource levels across the region would be unable to cope with increased development growth. It is therefore crucial that the needs of policing are considered alongside other infrastructure requirements within the draft South East Plan and that the Plan fully recognises that additional funding and support from Central Government and developer contributions will be required.

11. Hampshire Police Authority, Hampshire Constabulary and the other South East Regional Police Authorities consider it reasonable to seek financial contributions from developers to address any shortfalls arising from development schemes. There is clearly therefore a need for police services to be considered within Section 106 Agreements made under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, as amended, alongside other traditional public services, such as education and highways, in order to seek contributions from developers towards the increased demand for policing arising from new development.

12. Hampshire Police Authority, Hampshire Constabulary and the South East Regional Police Authorities have all urged the Panel to use its influence to include within the draft South East Plan new policies with reference to policing and the emergency services, and the need for police services to be considered within Section 106 Agreements alongside other traditional public services, together with an urgent review of central Government funding for police services in population growth areas.

13. The two debates at which Hampshire Police Authority will be present will take place on 30 November and 1 December, 2006 in Woking.