Chief Constable Nick Adderley pledges to make Northamptonshire SAFEST county in the UK

Chief Constable Nick Adderley says Northamptonshire Police is now recognised as one of the most improved forces in the country.

But he insisted the ambition remains to make the county the SAFEST in the UK.

Presenting his fourth annual report since taking charge in 2018, Mr Adderley said: “We are not complacent and our ambition reaches way beyond stats and figures.

“We will not rest whilst crime and antisocial behaviour persists.”

The report, published on Monday (August 8), points to the challenges of the last three years during Covid amid a "wealth of change and restructure".

Mr Adderley goes on: “Making such vital improvements while policing through a pandemic has been no easy feat.

“But the performance results have been significant, and I hope this will instil confidence in the public of Northamptonshire that we remain committed to delivering a high-quality service.”

He adds: "In the next 12 months, I want to go further.

“We have set new foundations in a five-year strategic vision which is shaping our strategies and delivery.

“Our key focus will be on improving the quality of the service we provide, striving for better outcomes for the public and an improved end-to-end service.

“The quality of the service has improved greatly, however the next steps will be to introduce better customer service for victims of crime. This will range from methods of contact, tone and quality of correspondence to how we update victims and engage with the public.

“The force will work even harder in the next 12 months on enhancing our engagement, to ensure the service is fit for purpose and in line with the expectations of the public."

The report highlights reductions in residential burglary with an 11.6 percent decrease annually — 256 fewer recorded break-ins — a seven percent drop in in home invasions.

More police operations have seen increases weapons seized and surrendered while antisocial behaviour incidents were down by 9,594 in 2021/22.

The force received more calls from the public — 317,993, up 3.2 — yet attended 4.8 percent fewer, 180,143.

Mr Adderley said: “We are committed to working smarter to prevent crime and creating better life chances for those who live and work here.

“A new strategy and measures will allow us to demonstrate better the activity that supports our wider prevention agenda to make sure our communities thrive.

“In addition to this, I remain committed to continuing to build on improving the culture within the force. This includes making us both an employer of choice and an attractive place to work, as well as ensuring we strive to represent our communities better.

“We will invest in training, kit and equipment to ensure our officers are equipped to respond and investigate effectively.

“What the public can expect to see in the next 12 months is further surge activity – intensive proactive policing and engagement - carefully crafted to reflect the Matters of Priorities we identified from your feedback.

“We will continue to bring offenders to justice and drive organised criminality out of Northamptonshire by making this a hostile place for those who attempt to operate here.”