With the Easter holiday period coming to an end, this coincides with our police force's end-of-year performance reviews, reflecting on how Isle of Wight police performed against our priorities and targets for reducing crime and improving community safety.

It’s also the period where I work with my senior leadership team to update our plans for delivering further crime reduction against the force priorities of relentlessly pursuing criminals, improving how victims are looked after and providing exceptional local policing.

We have force-wide priorities to achieve, including reducing domestic abuse, serious violence and the exploitation of children, as well as acquisitive crime such as burglary and robbery - not forgetting shop theft which impacts on all of us, not just businesses and shop workers.

We also need to be tuned in to what Island residents and businesses consider a priority.

Traditionally, this is tackling anti-social behaviour, road safety and criminal behaviours which put Island road users at risk.

However the Isle of Wight isn’t just one community – it’s a tapestry of many communities, with different concerns, depending on where you live.

Neighbourhood teams have been tasked with encouraging residents to sign up to IOW Alert, so we can get bespoke feedback direct from you. Your voice ensures we can develop patrol plans, catering to what is relevant in your area.

By being part of that online community you will be better served with updates and if you haven’t yet engaged with this service, you can sign up at www.iowalert.co.uk

It’s free, quick and simple. You'll be given the option of what you want to receive alerts about, how often, and whether it’s by email, text or voice message – whichever suits you. You can also contact us through the system but not to report crime – this is about sharing concerns about your neighbourhoods and how police can help.

Looking at last year’s police performance, we’ve seen a 3.6 per cent reduction in total crime on the Island, equating to 400 fewer crimes. We’re arresting more criminals, with 1,995 arrests made by Island officers last year – an increase of 3.3 per cent.

Our detections have improved, making us the best performing district in our force area for achieving outcomes for victims. The Isle of Wight is also best in force for victim satisfaction but we know we can do more, which is why it’s so important for us to hear your views.

I will keep you all updated on our progress to continue delivering an improving service, and I hope that you get to enjoy the early spring weather.