Norfolk is safest county in England

Tony Wright MP has expressed his delight in learning that Norfolk is now the safest county in England, following an analysis of Home Office figures.

Norfolk’s ‘safest county in England’ status is in no doubt down to the recent drive to put more police officers on our streets. Norfolk Constabulary is just two months into the new Norfolk policing model, which has seen over 100 additional officers on the beat. Last year saw an 11 per cent reduction in crime over the previous year, with this impressive record set to improve as the force’s Safer Neighbourhood Teams become increasingly involved in the community.

News of the survey, carried out by iQuanta, was welcomed by local business who said that the news would provide a huge boost for the county’s economy, as well as attracting more families to the area.

Tony said:

‘This is excellent news for the Norfolk and is a tribute to the dedicated hard work of our police force. Norfolk has always been among the safest counties in England but now for the first time we can claim the top spot.

‘I want to thank and express my support for the Norfolk police force and congratulate them on this reduction. I hope they continue to do their good work and let’s hope we see a further reduction in future.’

According to the Assistant Chief Constable for People, the number of police officers in Norfolk has increased from just over 1,400 officers to 1,662 since 1997, as well as increasing the number of Police Community Support of Offices from none to 277 since 1997.

More police on the beat means less crime on the street and it is Government initiatives with the Norfolk Police that has made this possible. Steps such as cutting police paperwork, for example, have freed up 260,000 police hours, and this has enabled Norfolk Police to achieve this excellent result.