More about this area

The force says...

Suffolk Constabulary polices a population of over 761,000 with 1,301 FTE police officer posts.

Suffolk covers 1,466 square miles across a county that is largely rural but includes a number of vibrant urban areas. It has a coastline stretching from Lowestoft to Felixstowe (one of the largest container ports in Europe), four military bases and a nuclear power station.

The county’s population has grown by 4.5% since 2011 and is expected to rise to over 779,000 by 2024. Over 50% of the population is aged 45 and over and 75,000 people in Suffolk live in income deprivation. Tourism plays a key role in the local economy contributing £2.1 billion in 2019, with 44,498 associated jobs.

The net revenue budget for policing in 2021/22 is £139.5 million. Since 2010, £33.2 million has been identified in savings, £20.2 million of which achieved through collaboration. Savings of £3.2 million are planned for 2021/22, rising to £3.4m by 2022/23.

In the 12 months up to the end of March 2021, the constabulary received over 218,000 calls last year; 47% of which were 999 emergencies. Over 48,000 crimes were recorded in the same period.

It continues to place neighbourhood policing at the centre of its operating model and in the last two years the Chief Constable’s plans for the policing element of the Precept have seen additional officers into Neighbourhoods and Partnership teams to improve the way the force deals with missing people, problem solving and modern slavery. This money has also created ‘Kestrel’ teams of uniformed officers who can be deployed into areas to provide more visible policing to address community concerns. Furthermore the force has used around half of its allocation of additional officers through the national uplift programme in neighbourhood policing roles across the county. Overall crime was 12% lower against the long-term average, largely due to the impact of lockdown restrictions, some of the largest decreases were recorded in residential burglary (reducing by 40%) and robbery (reducing by 37%), whilst domestic abuse increased by 13% over the same period

There continues to be an increase in both the volume and complexity of demand, including safeguarding, youth gang violence and mental health together with rises in violent crime.

Disclaimer: the above statement has been prepared by Suffolk Constabulary. The views and information in it are not necessarily those of HMICFRS.