Focus on a new style of policing

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By Ben Ando BBC News crime correspondent

Police officers in Surrey are encouraged to use their discretion

Police in four areas of England are trialling a scheme in which forces abandon targets and focus on delivering results, such as a nature project in Surrey where offenders work in the community.

At Shepperton Swan sanctuary in Surrey, founder Dot Beeson happily throws bread and lettuce to a pair of mute swans in one of the special care enclosures.

"It's great that he's eating again," she explains as the large cob nibbles at the food.

"When he arrived ten days ago he wasn't eating anything, and he was pouring with blood."

She pointed out marks on the side of the swan's neck, and his bill, where he'd been shot with an air rifle. His mate had also been hit, a pellet had gone right through her bill.

Injuries to swans are nothing new. Dot estimates of all the birds she sees at her state-of-the-art centre, complete with operating table and X-ray machine, 90% have been injured by the actions of humans.

"Most have been poisoned after eating lead weights, usually left by fishermen, but we're getting increasing numbers attacked by people throwing stones at them or even firing shots," she says.

Contrite boys

And when two local boys aged 15 and 16 posted images of themselves throwing stones and rocks at two swans on YouTube, Dot agreed to take part in a pilot scheme for a different style of policing.

"Mute swans are considered to be property of the Queen, so any attack on them counts as criminal damage," explains Pc Jo Morris, Surrey Police's rural officer.

"I tracked the boys down and got them in for interview."

But instead of charging them, and leaving them to the mercy of the leaden criminal justice system, Jo gave the contrite boys a choice.

"Instead of giving them a criminal record which would have affected their whole futures, I thought the perfect way of dealing with this was to get in touch with Dot at the sanctuary and arrange for the boys to spend some time here learning about the birds and helping her clean out swan poo," she says.

It's all about resolving problems, not hitting targets which are not necessarily the best ways of judging police success Douglas PaxtonStaffordshire Assistant Chief Constable

This is the kind of thinking now being encouraged by Jo's bosses at Surrey Police. They're taking part in a pilot project designed to cut red tape, ease bureaucracy and let police officers on the beat use their discretion and judgement when dealing with low level incidents.

It's not just Surrey taking part in the scheme. Police in West Midlands, Staffordshire and Leicestershire are also involved.

As well as giving officers more discretion, as being applied in Surrey, in Staffordshire they're trialling better police IT systems.

For example, a booking form which used to be 14 pages long can now be completed on a single page, and often by civilian support staff, rather than sworn officers.

The project is being overseen by Staffordshire Assistant Chief Constable Douglas Paxton.

He says for all the forces involved, there is a common theme: "It's all about resolving problems, not hitting targets which are not necessarily the best ways of judging police success."

Empowering police

In Surrey, Assistant Chief Constable Ian Dyson agrees: "I think what we are saying is this: 'Let's empower our officers, let's put that discretion back.'"

"It's for them to be able to go to an incident, assess it professionally and resolve it taking into account the needs of the victims of crime without necessarily going through what is a fairly bureaucratic process of crime recording and the criminal justice system."

Ian uses his words carefully, but his meaning is clear: It's time to focus on resolving the problems people have, not hitting self imposed police targets.

And the response from the public has been startling.

The offenders have helped care for injured swans

In Surrey, 98% of those victims asked said the new system was better. In Staffordshire and West Midlands the public approval rating was 93%.

When surveyed, a clear majority of rank-and-file officers preferred it too, largely because they felt that they were able to help people more, and in turn felt respected by those who had called on them to assist.

And over the four months so far, it's estimated 1,500 hours of police time which would have been spent filling in forms has been saved.

This trial is being closely monitored by the Home Office, who are said to be very supportive, and the National Police Improvement Agency.

The pilot projects will end in March, and be immediately assessed, but it's my understanding that already plans are being made for the new ideas to be rolled out rapidly across other forces in England and Wales.

And in Surrey, Ian Dyson is adamant that they'll be continuing to show discretion: "The impact has been such that we will continue encouraging our officers to use their discretion like this; to go back would be a retrograde step."