Update from the Durham Police and Crime Commissioner... Briefing 3
BRIEFING 03
National award puts Durham Constabulary at the forefront of
digital innovation
I’m pleased to excellent feedback from a new digital platform that I funded, designed help people swiftly access information about a person’s violent past has won a national technology award.
The new system, which uses Microsoft Power Platform, streamlines the way requests are made under Clare’s Law, also known as the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS). This legislation gives the public the right to ask the police if their current or ex-partner may pose a risk to them.
Specialist regional police officers dedicated to disrupting organised crime across the North East have stopped £250k of cocaine reaching the streets as part of an ongoing clampdown.
Evidence gathered by officers at the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU), supported by Matrix officers from Cleveland Police, uncovered the drugs plot after stopping a suspicious vehicle in the Cleveland area on March 12.
Rural crime was top of the agenda when I joined 250 riders and their horses for an annual pleasure ride through the historic grounds of Raby Castle.
The event was held in collaboration with Operational Gallop – a nationwide initiative to reduce the theft of horses, trailers and horseboxes – and we took the opportunity to raise awareness of our own Police Stop Me! Scheme funded by my office to proactively check agricultural plant, machinery and vehicles being moved at suspicious times.
Celebrating Checkpoint!
This month we are celebrating 10 years of the Checkpoint Diversionary scheme. Durham Constabulary were one of the first forces in the country to launch the scheme which adopts the public health approach to crime. I am delighted to announce more than 4,000 individual interventions have been undertaken across the force area in the past 10 years.
Joining forces with law enforcement bikers in support of
national stalking charity
I joined Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Susan Dungworth, at a motorcycle rally in support of fundraising work for a stalking awareness charity, Alice Ruggles Trust. Before the start of the rally, members of the Blue Knights Law Enforcement Motorcycle Group presented a cheque to Professor Clive Ruggles, from the Alice Ruggles Trust, in support of the organisation’s work educating young people on stalking so they can better understand the signs.
A special operation funded by my office as part of my Safer Roads commitment has seen 37 arrests for drink and drug driving in one weekend.
Operation Bonnet took place over the Easter weekend and saw officers provided with dozens of drug swipe testing strips to support extra checks. It came after 80% of residents in my recent consultation identified drink and drug driving as a top concern.
Read more…
Fighting for change on our roads
As the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners’ (APCC) Joint Lead on Roads Policing, I joined bereaved families, road safety charities and MPs from across the country in London earlier this month for the Protect Young Drivers Parliamentary drop-in event.
The event was aimed at building a consensus to protect young drivers, their passengers and other road users, with measures such as Graduated Driving Licences (GDL) in the spotlight. It also highlighted the need for clearer data from the Government to reveal a fuller picture of the human cost of road collisions.
I was honoured to return to Durham Pride this year and pay homage to the pioneers of the LGBTQ+ movement whose experiences of struggle, adversity and injustice have transformed our communities and given hope to the silenced and underrepresented.
Hate crime remains a key priority in my new Police, Crime and Justice Plan and I talked about the robust action I will take over the next four years to eradicate the hate that can drive a wedge between our communities and leave people living in fear
