As the festive season rapidly approaches, my thoughts turn to celebration and enjoyment and the opportunity to spend time with friends and family. In short it really is the most wonderful time of the year! It is also a welcome relief from the pressures of setting the budget and council tax levels which have to be finalised by the end of January.
Over the past weeks there has been what can only be described as very turbulent political environment. Whilst it is not all doom and despair from a policing perspective, as we remain a very safe county with the third lowest recorded crime level nationally, there is a dense fog of uncertainty clouding the outlook.
The recent budget has delivered nothing to encourage economic growth in Suffolk and I am dismayed at the hammering the hospitality industry has received, and the penal approach to our great agricultural industry is to my mind completely unforgivable. East Anglia is after all the breadbasket of the UK, and food security is crucial especially when you consider the current international geopolitical difficulties. The reason this matters to policing is because there is a very powerful correlation between economic and social deprivation and higher levels of crime, addiction, and abuse. In turn this causes demand on policing to rise.
The other shock to my system is yet another U-turn by the government concerning police governance. This was due to change on April 1st 2027, when the new mayor for Norfolk and Suffolk was scheduled to assume Police and Crime Commissioners’ responsibilities along with oversight of the fire and rescue services. A great deal of work, and therefore cost, has been carried out to prepare a seamless transition of both emergency services. At the stroke of a pen the government has scrapped the mayoral elections until May 2028 – a delay of over two years without a shred of consultation.
The Home Office has the gall to talk about delivering greater efficiency and productivity along-side police reform when all they have done is sow the seeds of confusion and chaotic distraction. This is simply unacceptable and potentially compromises what the force is doing in the fight against crime. I urge the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister to get a grip and show some courtesy by engaging rather than dictating to us please.
That said, there is one piece of welcome news to share with you and that is the recent launch of the Winter of Action initiative, which lasts until the end of January. The initiative is based predominantly on the successful Safer Summer Streets campaign held across nine Suffolk towns earlier this year. Bury St Edmunds, Newmarket, Sudbury and Stowmarket will all benefit from the additional focus on town centre policing.
Previously Haverhill had not been included in the cohort designated by the Home Office, but I am pleased Haverhill has now been included and quite rightly so, as it is our fourth largest settlement in Suffolk. The whole purpose of the campaign is to make these town centres as safe as possible so that time spent there, be it for shopping, entertainment or socialising, is a really pleasant experience. Once again takes a multi-agency approach and I am sure it will be just as successful as the summer campaign.
At this time of the year with all the celebrations and parties taking place, we all know (to put it politely) some individuals can get into a muddle through over indulgence! This is where I must mention how helpful the voluntary sector is with those from the Town Pastors and volunteers who run the SOS buses making a great contribution to keeping people safe and secure. The festive season is a joyous occasion, but please don’t spoil it by careless actions, and remember if you are planning to drive make sure both you and your vehicle are fit for the road. The Christmas drink/drive campaign has started so you’ll see more officers doing alcohol and drug testing on drivers of vehicles they pull over. Just stop to think is that drink worth losing your licence for – or even worse your life, or the life of someone else.
By next February the results of the Winter of Action will be known and I expect there will be plenty of positive outcomes. I hope such team-work will carry on countywide because that is how we will help keep Suffolk as one of the safest places in which to live, work, travel and invest.
As this is my last blog for this year, I’d like to finish by thanking everyone who has worked so hard this year to keep us all safe to enjoy this wonderful county, from the police and other emergency services, to business, local authorities and our army of volunteers.
And finally, I hope everyone has a very happy Christmas and a peaceful new year.
Published in Bury Free Press in December in 2025