Police tsar welcome's Crime Bill

CHESHIRE Police and Crime commissioner John Dwyer has welcomed the new Crime and Policing Bill proposed in the Queens Speech.
Two of the priorities in his own Police and Crime Plan – tackling anti-social behaviour and ensuring the police are “victim focused” are covered in the Bill.
The Bill will also force the police, councils and other partners to act if five households maee a complaint about anti-social behaviour.
Mr Dwyer (pictured) said: “I fully support this Bill, because it demonstrates how seriously anti-social behaviour is taken.
“I have made clear my intention to get tough on anti-social behaviour that at times blights all of our lives. Drunkenness, graffiti, littering and allowing dogs to foul footpaths are all unacceptable. These crimes will only increase if we accept them or ignore them.
“I will work in partnership with the Constabulary and other agencies and communities to provide diversionary activities and resilience.”
Other elements of the Bill include: policies to tackle forced marriage, dangerous dogs and illegal firearms used by gangs and in organised crime, as well as Police amd Crime Commissioners being given responsibility for commissioning victim services.
Mr Dwyer said: “I’ve been working closely with other agencies, to see how we can support victims of crime. Being a victim of crime can be a traumatic and life changing experience and too often we hear stories where the offender is given greater priority than those of the victim or witnesses of those crimes.”
Over the next 12 months, a stock-take of services for victims within Cheshire will be carried out to ensure that the services commissioned from next year are as responsive to the needs to victims and witnesses as possible. There will be a focus on prevention, coping with the experience and helping them to recover from being a victim or witness.
Mr Dwer added: “I want to improve victim and witnesses confidence, and when I hold the Chief Constable to account we discuss how we can work to help improve the confidence that communities have in every step of the criminal justice system.”