Police chief sets out plan to rebuild public trust

Ivan Balhatchet joined Northamptonshire Police in 2000, serving as a senior investigating officer and hostage negotiator

A county's new police chief said "rebuilding public confidence in policing" was a focus of his new three-year plan for the force.

Ivan Balhatchet was appointed as Northamptonshire Police's Chief Constable in January after his predecessor, Nick Adderley, was sacked for inventing key details of his Royal Navy service.

Last year, a report also found that the way the force investigated crime "requires improvement".

Mr Balhatchet said his policing plan, unveiled on Wednesday, had been formed in response to "a really challenging period for this force and policing in general".

The new policing plan identified "three key areas of strategic focus" that would "form the foundations of everything" the force does.

As well as building trust and confidence in local policing, it said it would look to improve the quality of investigations to build "trust and confidence in the process".

The policing plan also sets out an ambition to continue "developing the workforce [of its staff] across all fronts".

Mr Balhatchet, who served as acting Chief Constable for 15 months while an investigation into Mr Adderley's conduct was held, said: "Courage, empathy, respect and public service are guiding principles that we must expect from every member of the force.

"The plan also aligns with the public safety plan published by Danielle Stone, our Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, with whom I have worked closely with over the past 12 months.

"It is a strategy that has been shaped through a great deal of consultation, not least with hundreds of officers and staff at dedicated stakeholder engagement events in recent months.

"I hope the communities we serve will take the time to understand where our operational focus lies in the year ahead."

Mr Balhatchet, who was born and grew up in Northamptonshire, previously said he wanted to make the county "the safest in the UK".