Avon and Somerset Constabulary - Chief Constable

Avon and Somerset Constabulary

Colin Port is the Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Constabulary. Colin Port became Avon and Somerset Constabulary’s sixth Chief Constable in January 2005 after moving to the force from Norfolk Constabulary. His policing career started with Greater Manchester Police in 1974 and he has also worked for Warwickshire Constabulary and is a former head of the South East Regional Crime Squad. In 1994 he started work for the United Nations as Investigations Co ordinator with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. He was then Director of Investigations for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Between 1999 and 2002 he was seconded to Northern Ireland to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Rosemary Nelson. His key aim when he joined Avon and Somerset Constabulary was to ensure that the people living and working in the force area not only feel safe but are safe. In the two years Mr Port has been with the force, crime rates have decreased and detections have gone up – meaning less victims and more criminals in prison. Mr Port said this was due to the dedication and commitment of every member of the police family and the support of our communities. “Dedicated police work has had a positive impact on the quality of life of a large proportion of our communities. “One of main key messages to every member of staff has been that we must be professional, friendly and interested during every aspect of our work. “I want everyone who deals with our force to receive a first class service. We will sometimes make mistakes but we will learn from those mistakes. “Our communications centres are constantly improving and the Force Service Centre, which opened in November 2005 is getting better and better. “I know the demands on staff are considerable but I, and the public, expect a quality service. “Despite this pressure, crime has continued to reduce significantly and we are getting more and more criminals off the street and before the courts. This is a credit to everybody within the organisation, and also the support from our partner agencies and the communities we serve.” One of the highest profile initiatives to contribute to the improvement in performance has been Operation Relentless which continues to help catch more criminals and increase public reassurance in policing. Mr Port said “Relentless reminds us and the public of what policing is really all about and has been a great success. “I would like to see the public more actively involved in Relentless – working with us to drive down crime. Policing is too big and important a function to be left to the police alone.” Another great example of how community partnerships can help crime fighting is Neighbourhood Policing. Between now and 2008, every community in Avon and Somerset will have a dedicated Neighbourhood Team, comprising police officers, PCSOs and Special Constables. “This is a change to how crime is tackled in your neighbourhoods,” said Mr Port. “We recognise that you want more say in the issues the police and our partners deal with and how. “We also recognise that if we are going to make our neighbourhood stronger and safer, the help and support of the public is vital. This is all about re engaging with our communities, helping them to help themselves. “We already have many communities covered by Neighbourhood Policing Teams and I look forward to the time when every community in Avon and Somerset has their own team.” Something Mr Port agrees the force has to improve on is the diversity of the workforce. “We need to make sure that we represent the communities we serve, in terms of ethnicity, gender, disabilities and sexual orientation. “The communities of Avon and Somerset are incredibly diverse. It is what makes our towns and cities so interesting and enjoyable. To maintain the respect and understanding of these communities we must ensure that our workforce is just as diverse.” Looking ahead to another challenge, Mr Port said the work the force was doing to tackle serious and organised crime was crucial. “We will continue to wholeheartedly disrupt, dismantle and destroy serious and organised crime including drug related crime and gun crime. “There are also still improvements to make to further reduce crime and increase detections but I am confident the force is moving in the right direction. This will be done by quality investigations by well trained and equipped staff. “I am grateful for the support of not only to everyone in this organisation, but to our partners and the community. “Our biggest resource is our people and I am immensely proud of the people working for Avon and Somerset. “A key challenge will be fulfilling the enormous potential we have.“Together we can continue towards realising my goal of making the Avon and Somerset force area safer.”

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