WHEN I was elected in 2012 I set out my aspiration to ensure Cheshire became one of the safest – if not the safest county – in the country.

That can only happen with the constabulary tackling all those crimes that matter to residents and businesses of Cheshire, and I’m proud this continues to be the case.

There have been many headlines reporting that forces in other parts of the country won’t be attending burglaries, or will only respond to homes that have even numbers.

How true are these?

I don’t know, but what I can guarantee is this isn’t the way we police in Cheshire.

We’ve had success in tackling crimes that matter to local people, with the latest official crime statistics showing the lowest levels of criminality for a generation.

Particularly important has been the fall in victim-based crime, including issues like burglary, assaults and robbery.

On August 5 officers arrested three men in connection with burglaries from schools in the Warrington area, while over recent weeks we’ve also seen operations across the county to tackle cross-border criminals, and bring those who have evaded justice to book.

At the same time we’ve maintained our commitment to neighbourhood policing, keeping the 220 PCSOs, while getting more officers onto the frontline and recruiting, during the course of this financial year, an extra 53 officers.

And this has been delivered in the face of reduced funding for police forces nationally, of which Cheshire has taken its fair share.

All public services have had to do more with less, and the police are no different.

But it’s meant we’ve had to take hard decisions.

We’ve changed our operating model to make it more efficient, and we’ve reduced our back-office services to increase investment in the frontline.

Some of this has been challenging for staff affected, and of course we’re learning lessons and adjusting the way we do things to make sure we continue to focus on delivering the best services.

Working with the Chief Constable, Simon Byrne, I want to reassure all of your readers we’ll focus on all those crimes that matter to them.

John Dwyer Cheshire Police & Crime Commissioner