Police force to trial using LIBRARY STAFF to help the public report crimes
A POLICE force is looking into closing down inquiry desks at some of its stations and using library staff to help the public report crimes.
Norfolk Police are to carry out a six month trial where library staff will be trained to help people fill in new online forms if they want to report anything.
But critics of the project have described it as "highly alarming" and fear that crime victims could feel uncomfortable by revealing details in a public place.
There are also worried that hard-pressed library staff will be too busy doing their normal jobs to give a proper service.
The money-saving trial is due to start in two towns at the end of September when Norfolk Police are revamping their website to allow people to fill in forms to report crime and accidents online.
Members of the public in Thetford and Gorleston who have no internet access will be able to go to the libraries in the towns where staff will help them fill in the forms.
Police chiefs believe the service will make up for the loss of the public enquiry desk, manned by civilian staff, which will be closed down at Thetford police station during the trial.
There is currently no public enquiry desk at the police station in Gorleston.
Members of the public will still be able to make 999 calls to report emergencies such as violent incidents or dial 101 for less urgent matters.
The trial follows a study which shows that just 157 incidents were reported to the public enquiry office at Thetford police station in the year up to July 1 this year, representing just two per cent of all reported incidents in the area and less than one inquiry every two days.
A Norfolk Police spokeswoman said: "We have looked carefully at each of these enquiries in areas of concern such as domestic related incidents and every one of them could have been dealt with just as effectively by other means."
The majority of people around here are highly alarmed about this
Members of the public who arrive at Thetford police station will be directed by a sign to go to the library around a quarter of a mile away.
But there will still be a yellow phone outside the station for people to talk directly to the force control room if they wish.
Corinne Fulford, the vice chair of the Safer Thetford Action Group, said: "The majority of people around here are highly alarmed about this.
"We didn’t know anything about it until the police put out a press release. Nobody is saying what a fantastic idea it is.
"It sends out a horrific message. How can going into a library replace the safety and security of someone going into a police station to report something directly.
"Cynics may suggest that it is a way of keeping libraries open by giving them more usage."
Norfolk Police said the trial had followed discussions with Norfolk County Council’s Library and Information Service "to test a new way of helping residents access more police services in libraries".
A spokeswoman for Norfolk Constabulary said library staff would be "signposting customers to police services, while also helping them complete online self-reporting forms".
Under the scheme, library staff will also be able to help customers with online enquiries about lost and found items.
But members of the public will not be able to take items that they find such as bunches of keys, mobile phones or wallets to the libraries.
Norfolk Chief Constable Simon Bailey said: "The purpose of this pilot is to retain our public enquiry service in a more efficient, collaborative way.
"We are keen to retain such a service despite facing further significant budget reductions to funding.
"Over the last five years the Constabulary has saved £25 million to bridge the funding gap, with a projected deficit of over £5 million still to achieve.
"This pilot forms part of our work to realise these savings through more efficient working practices with our partners.
"The vast majority of people contact us by telephone and we hope that the new improved website will assist those who are comfortable with self-service, but we still want to be able to provide the opportunity for face-to-face advice for the small number of people who prefer this approach.
"This pilot is precisely the kind of improved partnership working we have all been actively pursuing."
Norfolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner Lorne Green said: "The link between Norfolk Constabulary and its communities is absolutely critical and it is crucial people feel connected to their police force.
"I also recognise the need for Norfolk Constabulary to innovate and look for efficiencies to make best use of their resources to protect the frontline.
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"This pilot is a welcome example of positive partnership working and I await the results with interest.
"I would urge people to feed back their thoughts and experiences."
The Norfolk Police spokeswoman added: "Dedicated staff from both the County Council and the Constabulary have worked up the details of the pilot, assessing how the processes and procedures will work.
"After the six month pilot, initial results will be presented to Chief Officers and Norfolk County Council to assess whether this approach is successful.
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"The views of the public are one of the key success measures being evaluated during the pilot and each member of the public who uses the library service for a police related matter will be asked to complete a short satisfaction survey."
Margaret Dewsbury, the Chairman of Norfolk County Council’s Communities Committee, said: "This trial will be a natural extension of the way libraries already help and support people to access a very wide range of public services and as part of its role as a trusted, one-stop source of information in local communities.
"It’s also a great example of the way we can help to join up public services and increase their efficiency in these times of austerity."
The public enquiry desk at Thetford police station is currently open from Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.
Norfolk Police are pointing out opening hours will be "improved" as Thetford library is open longer hours from 8.30am to 5.30pm and on Saturday mornings although it closes early on Wednesdays.
No redundancies are involved as staff at Thetford police station who are affected have been assigned to other duties during the trial.