Derbyshire Constabulary
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| Derbyshire Constabulary | |
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| Coverage | |
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 Derbyshire Constabulary area |
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| Area | Derbyshire inc. Derby |
| Size | 2,625 km² |
| Population | 1 million |
| Operations | |
| Formed | April 1st 1967 |
| HQ | Ripley |
| Budget | £157.2m [1] |
| Officers | 2,540 |
| Divisions | 'A', 'B', 'C' 'D' and 'O' |
| Stations | Alfreton Belper Heanor Ilkeston Long Eaton Ripley Ashbourne Bakewell Buxton Chapel-en-le-Frith Glossop Matlock Bolsover Chesterfield Clay Cross Dronfield Killamarsh Shirebrook Staveley Derby North Derby East Pear Tree Swadlincote |
| Chief Constable | Mick Creedon |
| Website | http://www.derbyshire.police.uk/ |
Derbyshire Constabulary is the Home Office police force responsible for policing the county of Derbyshire, England. The force covers an area of over 1,000 square miles (3,000 km²) with a population of just under one million.
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[edit] Organisation and Structure
To police the county the force is divided into four territorial divisions, based respectively in the towns of Ripley ('A' Division - policing the local authority districts of Amber Valley and Erewash and the villages of South Normanton and Pinxton which lie within the boundaries of Bolsover District Council), Buxton ('B' Division - covering High Peak and Derbyshire Dales District Council areas), Chesterfield ('C' Division - Chesterfield, NE Derbyshire and Bolsover), and Derby ('D' Division - policing the city of Derby and the district of South Derbyshire). The Force Headquarters, near Ripley and close to the A38 road, is Butterley Hall, former residence of Benjamin Outram and once owned by the Butterley Company. The Old Hall and later additional buildings in the large grounds house much of the force's central administrative services and the Divisional Headquarters of Operations Division. Operations Division encompasses the Road Policing Unit (with bases at Cotton Lane in Derby, Heath in Chesterfield and Chapel-en-le-Frith), Air Support ( North Midlands Helicopter Support Unit NMHSU), a partnership with Nottinghamshire Police), ARU (Armed Response Unit), Dog Section, Uniform Task Force and Road Policing Support (Collision Investigators). The Constabulary is led by the Chief Constable assisted by a Deputy and two Assistant Chief Constables. Each division is headed by a Chief Superintendent - the Divisional Commander - and each division is divided into Sections, which are led by an Inspector. The force has an authorised establishment of 2,065 police officers, 475 special constables and 104 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs)[2]. The Chief Officers of the force work in partnership with the 17 publicly-elected representatives on the Derbyshire Police Authority, which shares responsibility for budgets and policy, and is intended to ensure that the public of Derbyshire have a voice in the policing of their county.
[edit] Geography and Demographics
Derbyshire Constabulary polices an area which ranges from remote rural locations to busy city-centre and suburban environments. The more urbanised east and south of the county, including the market town of Chesterfield and the city of Derby, generally require more officers to respond to the needs of the large resident population, while the more rural north and west require the smaller number of officers to be more mobile. Calls for service in the rural areas usually increase during summer as the population is boosted by approximately twenty million visitors each year to the Peak District and its surrounds. Winter weather on the unforgiving high ground around Glossop and Kinder Scout can also cause problems for traffic and residents.
[edit] Crime and Other Demands
Derbyshire's different environments also lead to different pressures on the police and different concerns for the public. Anti-social behaviour and drug abuse are more prevalent in town and city areas, whereas the rural districts are often prone more to traveling crime. In general, Derbyshire has a lower crime rate in comparison to its neighbouring force areas of Greater Manchester Police, South Yorkshire Police, Nottinghamshire Police. These neighbouring areas all contain larger urban centres than Derbyshire and as a result criminals from these areas travel to Derbyshire to commit crime. A recent Home Office report indicated that Derbyshire had the lowest crime levels in the East Midlands region, and the force states that crime rates have fallen in Derbyshire by 15% in the last year.
[edit] Regionalisation
Proposals were made by the Home Secretary on March 20, 2006 to integrate groups of police forces in England and Wales into 'strategic' forces, which he saw as being more 'fit for purpose' in terms of combating terrorism and organised crime. Under these proposals Derbyshire would have merged with nearby forces to create an 'East Midlands Police'.[3] However, these proposals were unpopular with much of the community and the police, and for the moment have been deferred, leaving the East Midlands forces to continue independently.
[edit] Internal Support Networks
Derbyshire Constabulary has a number of internal support networks available to staff and police officers.
- Black Police Association
- Disability Forum
- Gender Agenda Women's Network
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender (LGBT) Group
- Religious Networks.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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