Environment and sustainability
We are committed to being socially and environmentally responsible, delivering value for money, working efficiently and reducing waste in every aspect of our business. We are working hard to integrate the concept of sustainability across every part of our organisation.
Our activity
Some of our most recent sustainability activity includes:
- a public-sector decarbonisation scheme grant to install an air source heat pump as part of the refurbishment of Chard police station
- a new programme of work to the deliver the infrastructure and vehicles, we will need to make the 100% deployment of an electric fleet a reality
- investing in renewable energy at police stations in Bristol, Minehead and Chard
- providing 60 fully electric vehicles on our police fleet, with a further 134 hybrids; work continues to improve our data across the whole fleet to help us make efficiency savings in the future
- collaborating with other police services in the South West to look at our collective carbon footprints, including the carbon footprint of our supply chains, and explore opportunities to work together to reduce them
Our Sustainability Plan
Our 2021-2026 Sustainability Plan outlines our commitment to sustainability and sets ambitious targets for the future. The plan will drive improvements in how we do things, to make better use of resources, contribute to improving the lives of local people and further reduce our environmental impact.
We developed our Sustainability Plan using the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals and identified four priority goals in our current five-year plan:
- Climate Action
- Responsible Consumption and Production
- Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Partnerships for the Goals
Annual Sustainability Report
Our latest Annual Sustainability Report provides performance headlines, shares progress updates and highlights risks.
The 2023/24 report performance headlines include:
- the Constabulary’s total carbon emissions fell by a further 8.4%
- natural gas use in our buildings reduced on the previous year, although electricity increased 5.3%
- 3.7% of the estimated 12 million-plus miles our police fleet travelled, were in purely electric vehicles
Sustainability Charter
Additionally, we have signed up to the Emergency Services Environment and Sustainability Charter, which was developed for members to pledge their support to:
- work towards a common set of goals
- embed sustainability within their own organisation
- achieve sustainability objectives
Contact us
If you want to find out more about our sustainability programme, contact Hannah Watts, Head of Business Services using our general enquiry form.