STATES OF JERSEY POLICE ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT 2005 CONTENTS Page Number Chief Officer’s Introduction 3 Explanatory Notes 4 Key Performance Outcomes 5 Recorded Crime 6 Detection Rates 8 Road Safety 9 Public Confidence 12 Corporate Standards 16 Crime in Jersey 2005 18 Acquisitive Crime 21 Offences against the Person 22 Drugs 25 Financial Crime 26 Managing Change 27 Partnership with the Honorary Police 37 Glossary of Terms 38 Page 2 CHIEF OFFICER’S INTRODUCTION Thank you for reading the States of Jersey Police Annual Performance Report for 2005. Crime levels in Jersey continue to remain low compared with elsewhere and, in 2005, crime fell further compared with 2004 and the three-year average. This is to a large extent due to the exceptional efforts of the men and women of the Force and the strong support we receive from the public. In addition to normal operations in 2005 the force policed a number of major events. The most significant was the visit of Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to attend the 60th Anniversary celebrations of the Liberation. The visit posed major operational challenges, including crowd control, transport and not least of all the significant security arrangements now required for events of this nature. The operation involved the full mobilisation of both the States and Honorary Police, and it is to the credit of all concerned that fewer than 20 officers from the U.K. were needed to supplement operations on the day. While this report describes low and falling levels of crime we should not become complacent. The island continues to be a target for criminal organisations based in the U.K. and elsewhere. It is likely that this, and Jerseys strong alcohol culture will continue to present challenges in the year ahead. I hope we will continue to benefit from the help and support of islanders, whether in the reporting of suspicious activity, appearing as witnesses, or by offering their voluntary support through bodies such as Crimestoppers, People Against Crime, Victim Support, or the Honorary Police. By working together as a community we can all play our part in Making Jersey Safer. Graham Power Chief Officer February 2006 AT A GLANCE There were 59.7 crimes per 1,000 population in Jersey during 2005. The comparative figure for England and Wales is 112.7 Crime in Jersey during 2005 fell by 3% compared with the three-year average for 2002-04. The crime detection rate in Jersey averages 38 - 40%. The comparative figure for England and Wales is 26% The sanction detection rate (where an offender is dealt with by the criminal justice system) in Jersey is 31%. The comparative figure for England and Wales is 21% There are about 6.7 domestic burglaries per 1,000 households in Jersey compared with a England and Wales average of 15.6 Page 3 EXPLANATORY NOTES 1. This report sets out the progress made by States of Jersey Police in 2005 in delivering the programme of initiatives prescribed by the 2005 Policing Plan and provides a detailed breakdown of offences recorded by the States of Jersey Police during 2004. 2. Policing performance in any one year is best understood in the context of what has gone before, the environment in which the Force is operating and the operational objectives it has set in its Policing Plan for the year in question. Where appropriate, key performance results are prefaced by a brief summary of some of the key issues highlighted in the 2004 Annual Report and the 2005 Policing Plan under the heading ‘Key Challenges Predicted for 2005’. 3. Where possible, key performance indicators are Figure 1: Example - 1 and 3-year comparisons measured against a three-year average from 2002 to 2004 and also the figures for 2004. The 100 three-year average provides the most reliable 90 indicator of performance as it takes into account the peaks and troughs in activity that can affect 80 a simple year-on-year comparison. Figure 1 70 provides an example of this principle in action. A simple comparison between 2004 and 2005 60 would suggest that crime has increased by 50 10%. This would fail to recognize that the 2002 2003 2004 2005 figures in 2004 were particularly low and those for 2005 remain 17.5% lower than the average for 2002-04 and represent a downward trend in the occurrence of this particular offence. 4. A traffic light system is used to highlight performance against the three-year average for each key performance indicator. A green light identifies that a positive result has been achieved, a yellow highlight indicates concerns about progress and a red highlights that desired results have not been achieved or performance data shows a significant decline. 5. The recording practices used to record crime and detection rates in Jersey are consistent with those prescribed by the Home Office for Police Forces in England and Wales and have been audited by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary. Page 4 KEY PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES What does successful policing look like? The 2005 Policing Plan identified these key performance outcomes against which our performance in delivering effective policing services and making optimum use of our human and financial resources can be judged. Progress against each of these measures can be reviewed by using the page references set out below. Despite the projected impact of demographic change on future crime levels, See page 6 Jersey has low levels of crime relative to comparable locations High detection rates with a preponderance of detections resulting in offenders See page 8 being presented to the criminal justice system High levels of public confidence in the Police See Page 131 High public perceptions of safety in their neighbourhoods See Page 7 High levels of satisfaction with the quality of service provided to victims of crime See page 12 Significant disruption to the supply of illegal drugs in the Island See Page 25 High public perceptions of safety in St Helier at night Available 2006 A high proportion of the public are satisfied that the Police do a good job in Available 2006 tackling • drugs • violent crime • burglary Low levels of road traffic crashes resulting in serious or fatal injury See Page 9 A reputation for high quality financial crime investigation See page 26 Police security arrangements at Jersey ports are maintained to recognised See page 14 standards A resilient and effective response can be delivered in the event of major See page 14 incidents and emergencies Planned services are delivered within the agreed budget See page 12 Sickness levels are effectively managed See page 12 The performance and development of staff is effectively managed See page 14 1 These outcomes will be measured through the results of the 2005 Social Survey due to be published by the Jersey Statistics Unit in 2006 Page 5 RECORDED CRIME Predicted Challenges for 2005 After three consecutive years of falling crime figures, recorded crime increased by 8.5% in 2004. KEY PERFORMANCE OUTCOME Our analysis acknowledged that, whilst this might be a temporary phenomenon, social and Despite the projected impact demographic factors were likely to place upward of demographic change on pressure on crime levels in Jersey. The extent to future crime levels, Jersey has which this would impact on community safety would low levels of crime relative to depend on the effectiveness of new policing strategies and the development of a more co- comparable locations. ordinated approach across government to community safety issues. Results in 2005 The overall number of crimes recorded by the States of Jersey Police in 2005 was 5,2352. This represents – • AT A GLANCE a fall of 6.3% compared with 2004, and; In six of Jersey’s 12 • a 3% reduction compared with the three-year average for parishes, there was an 2002-04. average of less than two crimes per week in 2005. The standard measure used to benchmark crime levels between different jurisdictions is the number of recorded crimes per 1,000 population. The most recent figures published for England and Wales show an average crime rate of 112.7 crimes per 1,000 population in 2004/05. By comparison, there were 59.7 crimes per 1,000 population in Jersey during 20053. The overall level of recorded crime is traditionally regarded as the basic measure of policing performance in protecting community safety. Taken at face value, however, headline figures can be misleading and it is worth considering some of these factors – • Many crimes, particularly those of a minor nature, will always go unreported.4 As the Police can only record those offences of which they are made aware, this can have an important bearing on official crime figures. A comparison between the findings of the British and Jersey Crime Surveys shows that the public are more likely to report crime in Jersey than in the United Kingdom. The Island therefore enjoys lower levels of crime despite a higher reporting rate. • An illegal drugs market will exist in any community, with many people committing a variety of drug offences every day. Most of these crimes remain hidden unless they are detected and recorded by the Police. The more successful the Police are at investigating and disrupting local drug networks, the more crimes will be recorded. This can give the erroneous impression that overall crime is on the increase. Crime levels in Jersey are low in spite of our record in detecting more drugs offences than comparable jurisdictions. 2.6% of all recorded crimes in England and Wales are drug offences compared with 5.1% in Jersey. 2 Both States and Honorary Police Officers use the central crime recording system maintained by States of Jersey Police.