Rupert Matthews, Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicestershire & Rutland, New Year Message
You don’t need me to tell you that Rutland is a beautiful county. Nor that is a wonderful place to live.
But that doesn’t mean that it is without its problems. There have been thefts of valuable farm equipment, car thefts and burglaries.
That is why the Leicestershire Police are here to help you. As your Police and Crime Commissioner I have ensured improvements to the call centre to ensure that your emergency calls are answered more quickly, and that officers are despatched as fast as possible – including to the far east of Rutland beyond the A1. I have also worked with the Rural Policing Unit to give the farms and villages of Rutland the support and protection they deserve.
But it is not only the police that I look after and fund. Crime Prevention and Community Safety also fall under my remit. That is why I give funds every year to the Rutland Community Safety Partnership and why I commission a wide range of services from charities, companies and authorities all of them targeted at keeping you safe and ensuring the Rutland remains the wonderful place to live that it is.
As we look forward to 2025 there are challenges ahead. The government has not given me the money that I need to cover the costs of inflation and the new duties that the government has laid on our police force. Criminals are becoming ever more sophisticated, using AI and other new technologies. But I can assure you that we are on top of the situation.
