01 We will provide equality of access to services and information.

• A team has been established in the Call Management Centre (CMC) specifically to improve customer contact and to manage expectations, e.g. if we are delayed in getting to non-urgent calls, we will keep you informed;
• We will take as many details as possible of the crime over the phone to allow officers to maximise their time spent investigating the circumstances of the crime. This is known as 'live crime recording' which has now been adopted by the Crime Bureau giving victims of crime immediate access to crime prevention advice and crime numbers;
• Every effort has been made to ensure all pages on our website comply with Priority 3 W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. This indicates that necessary care has been taken to provide an inclusive website which has been written in plain English to ensure it is easy to understand;
• The Constabulary also use Language Line, which has access to all the major languages spoken throughout the Force and provides a translation service. Language Line can be used when people are in custody. At several of our city policing units, officers are learning basic phrases in differing languages to promote trust, confidence and respect in the community, when attending incidents;
• Specialised telephone lines/Talk-type is used for callers who are deaf/hard of hearing;
• 'Solutions' is a scheme where people can suggest ways in which the Force can improve performance in all areas of its service to the public. This is accessible via the Force website.

02 We will provide a range of ways to access our services that address the needs of users.

• In an emergency - for example when life is in danger or a crime is being committed - dial 999;
• In a non emergency - for example not requiring immediate police attendance - or to report a non-urgent crime, dial 101;
• Police stations operate a front enquiry office or drop in surgery. Details of opening times can be found on the website;
• You can contact the police officer who has responsibility for the area where you live with non-urgent enquiries by email or voicemail;
• Callers with particular needs, such as hard of hearing, deaf or speech impaired, can use our text message service via their mobile phone by contacting 07624 818 901;
• We acknowledge all letters with details of a named person and how to contact them within ten days. Subsequent updates will be sent at a minimum of every 28 days until the enquiry has been finally resolved;
• All of our police stations have disabled access, an induction loop system and portable amplifier kit which includes a number of disability aids for people who need additional help;
• If your call is of a sensitive nature we can provide a fully confidential and private room where you will be given the support and advice you need.

03 We will consult with those who use our services and the local community about what is important to them and publish specific local commitments.

• We routinely survey people who have been victims of crime which enables us to evaluate and improve our service using various methods, for example, online and paper based surveys and our Quality of Service Call Back Bureau, which involves a team of staff surveying victims of crime between 6pm - 9pm weekdays;
• We conduct satisfaction surveys of victims which allows us to assess the level of crime as well as the service that we provide. Our aim is to identify opportunities to improve wherever we can;
• We randomly arrange visits to front enquiry offices in the form of a "mystery shopper" to objectively test that we are providing a high quality service;
• Neighbourhoods have dedicated police officers, together with Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and in some instances, Special Constables, who will engage with communities and focus on public involvement in identifying problems and prioritising action in all neighbourhoods, by providing focus groups for victims of crimes;
• As well as working in conjunction with other organisations, we work with and for you, via community meetings, local groups and local authority meetings;
• As part of our Neighbourhood Policing strategy, regular 'Have a say' days are held in all neighbourhoods where you are invited to discuss current issues concerning local policing;
• We publish and make available several documents including yearly local policing summaries, a three year Force strategy, an annual Policing Plan and Annual Reports.

04 We will provide a range of information that focuses on areas of service that you have told us are important to you, ensuring the information is easy to understand.

• Well established methods of recording and monitoring up-to-date performance information, in relation to Force departments, enables us to produce informative reports on a monthly basis;
• Neighbourhood priorities are identified every six months through various methods of community consultation and are published on our website and within neighbourhood newsletters.
• We conduct satisfaction surveys of victims which allows us to assess the level of crime as well as the service that we provide. Our aim is to identify opportunities to improve wherever we can;

05 We will widely publicise the details of how you can access police services in your local area.

• Our 'Making the Difference' external booklet is available in a variety of public locations such as libraries, police stations and doctor's surgeries, and outlines the standards of service you can expect to receive when coming into contact with the police;
• Opening times, addresses and directions to all of our police stations are available on our website and on police station entrance signs;
• Information on the use of the single non-emergency number 101  and the emergency line '999' can be found on the website and in local and surrounding counties' telephone directories;
• We provide a number of options in relation to how to contact us, including a direct email facility. These options are detailed on our website;
• Every member of staff has an individual voicemail box facility which can be accessed via the Force main switch board 101;
• The website and local media are used to publicise our neighbourhood beat officer surgeries;
• Crime prevention campaigns are conducted throughout the year;
• We support and are supported by Crimestoppers. The Crimestoppers number is detailed on our website, within telephone directories, police stations, on police vehicles and within local papers.