Police Data

Norfolk Constabulary 999 Call Performance Data (2023)

Norfolk Constabulary 999 Call Performance Data (2022)

Norfolk Constabulary 999 Call Performance Data (2021)

Norfolk Constabulary: Summary of National Crime and Policing Measures 

Priority area: Reduce Murder and Homicide

Supplementary Comment

The specialist Joint Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team are responsible for investigating all homicides.  There has been an 78% decrease of offences over the most recent 12 months when compared to the previous 12 months. When compared against the 2019 baseline, there has been a 71% decrease. The offence of Murder only, shows a decrease of 67% over the most recent 12 months when compared to the previous 12 months, with a 60% decrease when compared against the 2019 baseline.

When looking at Homicide offences, the following was found;

• None of the offences are linked.
• There are no concerning trends of note that would indicate an emerging issue.
• The offences are spread out across the county.
• Of the four potential measures used by the Home Office to indicate whether force trends are of particular concern, Norfolk Constabulary has breached none of these areas for homicide offences.

Priority area: Reduce Serious Violence

Supplementary Comment

Norfolk has seen a 17% increase in all Violence With Injury compared with the 2019 baseline and a 4% decrease when compared to the previous 12 months. 32% of all violence with injury was domestic abuse related. Grievous Bodily Harm has seen an increase of 33% when compared to the 2019 baseline, and a 5% decrease when compared to the previous 12 months. A 6% decrease against the 2019 baseline for Actual Bodily Harm can be seen, and a 10% decrease in this offence when compared to the previous 12 months.

The Constabulary is committed to increasing the number of offenders brought to justice for VAWG offences. There has already been considerable effort to improve the training officers receive to improve evidence-gathering opportunities. Acting on feedback from victims, work is ongoing to ensure it is the suspect and not the victim that feels at the centre of the enquiry. We look to utilise modern digital techniques as well as ensuring that other corroborative evidence is captured to support the victim’s account so that the victims does not feel responsible for providing all of the evidence required for a successful prosecution.

Working with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk and a local charity, the Constabulary has developed a program to capture the voice of victims of serious sexual offences. Victim feedback has led to changes in training that is delivered to officers to promote improvements in practice.

The Constabulary is continuing to work with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to submit files for early investigative advice. This ensures that investigations are appropriately focussed on the actions of the suspect and minimising intrusion into victims’ lives.

Priority area: Disrupt drugs supply and County Lines

Supplementary Comment

Drugs supply offences are normally identified and recorded as a result of proactive policing. The 12-month period ending December 2023 has seen a decrease of 18% (-86 offences), when compared to the previous 12 months. There has been a 34% (-206 offences) decrease when compared to the 2019 baseline.

Disruption of County Lines continues to be prioritised according to known or suspected risk factors, such as using children to supply drugs. Those lines identified as having the greatest risk score are the Tier 1 lines. Whilst the long-term trend for the number of identified County Lines continues to reflect a significant decrease, that figure regularly fluctuates and will be affected by factors other than police activity.

Development work regularly highlights new County Lines operating in Norfolk or the re-emergence of previously known lines. This presents opportunities to understand how the line operates and to evidence who the subjects controlling the supply of drugs are, therefore, a proportionate rise in the total would not necessarily be a negative indicator.

The volume of County Lines closed remains relatively stable when comparing the last 12-month period with the year prior.  At the end of September 2023, 93 lines had been closed and 157 people had been charged in connection with running County Lines in Norfolk.  Sentencing for those convicted totals over 380 years in custody, with cash seizures in excess of £170,000.

Drugs and weapons are regularly being recovered during enforcement activity both in Norfolk and out of the county.

Priority area: Reduce neighbourhood crime

Supplementary Comment

All neighbourhood crime has seen a decrease of 41% (-2499 offences) when compared against the 2019 baseline. When compared to the previous 12-month period, All neighbourhood crime has decreased by 7% (-261 offences). All other neighbourhood measures have also seen decreases when compared to 2019 baseline and against the previous 12-month period.

The process for setting local neighbourhood priorities is under review, including Safer Neighbourhood Action Panel (SNAP) meetings. This review has included multi-agency workshops to ensure partnership views are being taken into consideration. Training has now been delivered to all new Student Officers, Beat Managers, Local Policing Neighbourhood Sergeants, and Operational Partnership Teams in the use of problem-solving techniques to address community issues.

A Neighbourhood Policing Improvement Board, led by the Community Safety Superintendent, ensures the seven pillars of Neighbourhood Policing as defined by the College of Policing are being addressed.  This Improvement Board is overseeing the development of a Neighbourhood Policing Performance Framework which is based on a new set of measures that have been introduced through the National Police Chief’s Council.

Priority area: Improve satisfaction among victims - with a particular focus on victims of domestic abuse

Supplementary Comment

When compared against the 2019 baseline, Norfolk has seen a decrease of 2pp in victim satisfaction rates, there has however been an increase of 1pp when compared against the previous 12-month figure.

To support domestic abuse victims, the Constabulary has worked very closely with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) and other partners to successfully deliver the Norfolk Integrated Domestic Abuse Service (NIDAS), which was launched in 2022.  NIDAS brings together victim support services across the county under one umbrella, ensuring that the most appropriate service is provided to the victim and avoiding the risk of duplication.

In the reporting period the Constabulary’s Operation Investigate team have continued to support the County Policing Command (CPC) development training days for frontline officers. Training is delivered by the team with the objective of ensuring investigations are victim focused and evidence led, to improve outcomes and victim satisfaction. Training in this quarter has also continued to focus on the use of Civil Orders when seeking positive outcomes to obtain justice for victims. Future training is now being planned to support the use of evidence-led prosecution in cases where the victim is not at that time in a position to support the investigation. The Operation Investigate team have also continued to support the professional development of wider policing teams, with the aim of improving victim satisfaction.

A Special Measures Advisor (SMA), recruited in October 2022, has had a huge impact in ensuring vulnerable victims are supported through the court process, helping to improve confidence and satisfaction. In September 2023 the SMA reviewed 125 cases.  Of these they contacted victims in 78 cases, which included cases of Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RaSSO), Domestic Violence and Hate Crimes.  29 Special Measures Applications were made which will support these victims when attending court and giving evidence through Live Link screens and Registered Intermediaries.

Appendix:

Homicide

Consists of the following offence types: Murder, Manslaughter (including corporate) and Infanticide.

Violence with injury

Following the release of further clarification around the National Crime and Policing Measures (NCPM), the crime category of 'violence with injury' has been used as a measure of serious violence. This differs to the figures released in the previous Specified Information Order and all baselines have been adjusted to reflect that. Violence with injury consists of the following:

• Assault with injury
• Assault with Injury on a Constable
• Assault with Injury On An Emergency Worker (Other Than A Constable)
• Assault with intent to cause serious harm
• Attempted Murder
• Cause of Allow Death or Serious Physical Harm to Child or Vulnerable Person
• Causing Death by careless or inconsiderate driving
• Causing Death or Serious Injury by Dangerous Driving
• Endangering Life
• Intentional Destruction of a Viable Unborn Child
• Racially or Religiously Aggravated Assault with Injury

A further focus on Actual Bodily Harm (ABH) and Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH) shows key trends in more detail.

Neighbourhood crime

Consists of the following offences: Residential Burglary (dwelling and non-dwelling), Vehicle Crime (theft of, interference with and theft from vehicle), Robbery, Theft from person.

Cyber crime

Non police data not yet available.

Drug trafficking

Crime consists of offences that relate to the supply of drugs as opposed to the possession of drugs.

Satisfaction

Calculated using responses that indicate the victim was either ‘Completely Satisfied’, ‘Very Satisfied’ or ‘Fairly Satisfied’.

Note on crime recording standards

The Home Office sets the comprehensive guidance rules around the reporting standards on crime for the police.

You can find out more about the standards of crime by visiting the Government website

The implementation of these standards in Norfolk Constabulary are audited periodically by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS). 

Norfolk Constabulary has worked hard since its HMICFRS inspection in 2020 on crime recording to ensure issues reported to police are properly assessed and recorded.  This step change in working practices means that direct comparisons of crime data with those years prior to 2021 compares different standards of approach