Partnerships, networks and justice boards

The Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) works with lots of different groups and organisations to help make Cheshire a safer, stronger place to live, work and study. This teamwork is really important because tackling crime and keeping people safe isn’t something one organisation can do on its own.

Working together local and beyond

The PCC builds strong partnerships at local, regional and national level. These relationships help to:

• Bring people and organisations together to solve problems
• Support the goals in the Police and Crime Plan
• Make services more effective and efficient

The PCC closely with local leaders, emergency services, charities and community groups to make sure everyone can work as one team where it matters most.

Key partnerships in Cheshire

Some of the ways the PCC works with others include:

Collaborating to do more

The PCC also works with other organisations in specific ways:

Blue Light Collaboration with Cheshire Fire Authority

Cheshire Fire Authority and the PCC work together in ways that benefit the public – for example by sharing some support services – while still keeping their own identities.

Regional Collaboration in the North West

Cheshire’s PCC and the Chief Constable of Cheshire Constabulary work with colleagues from neighbouring counties (Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside and North Wales) to share specialist services. A Joint Oversight Committee sets the strategic direction for these collaborations.

Examples include:

• North West ROCU (Regional Organised Crime Unit) – The North West ROCU was established in 2009 to tackle serious and organised crime which crosses county borders within the region
• North West Motorway Patrol Group – A collavoration which is lef by Cheshire and involved Greater Manchester and Merseyside Police. The group, which was set up in 2008 in partnership with the Highways Agency, is responsible for policing the motorway network in the North West.
• Underwater Search and Marine Unit – This Unit operates across the North West providing a specialist team of police officers who are experienced in search and recovery operations.
• North West Chronicle Collaboration – Chronicle is a computer system that manages training and operations for specialist functions (armed policing, public order, search, dogs and armoury). The main purpose of the collaboration is to standardise and merge six regional systems into one.
• North West Strategic Roads Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) – This collaboration involves all the North West police forces. ANPR is identified as an effective method of providing protective services across the region’s road network.
• North West Regional Firearms Policy Collaboration – This collaboration is aimed at delivering standardised joint training and methods of working between the six forces in the North West.
• Cheshire and North Wales Firearms Alliance – Cheshire and North Wales have entered into a collaboration arrangement for the provision of Firearms Officers which enables a team of specifically trained officers to deploy quickly to incidents in Cheshire and North Wales.

Why this matters

By working with others – whether it’s police forces nearby, local councils, voluntary groups or regional teams – the PCC aims to deliver better services for local people, reduce crime and improve community safety across Cheshire.