Police chief's red tape pledge

Staffordshire's Chief Constable has vowed to continue his force's drive to boost public confidence and to cut red tape.

Tomorrow marks Chris Sims first year in charge of the force and he said: "We've made some real achievements as a force over the last 12 months and I've been really encouraged to see our new approach to policing being adopted nationally.

"We have very clearly set out our stall to build people's trust and confidence in their local force and this overriding objective sets the tone for all that we do.

"The way we measure our performance has been simplified to focus on understanding what matters to communities, dealing with it and reducing crime further."

Mr Sims said his force had made significant moves to cut the bureaucracy that had been "stifling" officers.

"The force is playing a leading role in a national pilot programme which aims to free up officers from the burden of lengthy crime reports for minor crimes and incidents.

"It will also see officers use greater professional judgment to resolve incidents more proportionately, in line with victims' and communities' wishes.

Mr Sims said he wanted the force to carry on fighting bureaucracy by looking at more and more of its routine processes.

"Ultimately, our goal is to put even more officers and staff on the frontline, engaging with communities and dealing with the things that matter to them."