It is clear that we are treating people fairly, and giving access to our services at the times people want us. The inspection also shows evidence that our public know our neighbourhood teams, and how to contact them, and that they are out there, patrolling in communities, 80 per cent of their time. Clearly, our PACT process of holding local meetings and surgeries is also giving people good access to their local officers, and we are updating communities on a monthly basis through these, and through our regularly updated ward websites ( www.gwent.police.uk )

Gwent Police Chief Constable Mick Giannasi said: "Our policing pledge inspection grades demonstrate that we have made significant headway in our commitment to improving service delivery for communities throughout Gwent. While we acknowledge that we still have a lot more to do, five ‘good’ ratings and five ‘fair’ ratings - the best of any Welsh force - show that we are moving in the right direction. The inspection was conducted in May this year , shortly after the policing pledge was launched, and since that time we have continued to improve the service that we deliver to the people of Gwent. We are looking in particular at technological developments that will enable us to further enhance the service we provide and we are confident that our continued improvements will be reflected in the next inspection in 2010."

Cilla Davies, who chairs Gwent Police Authority said: "While we have made a positive start we accept that there is room for improvement and we are committed to ensuring that the organisation remains focussed on continuous improvement. It is pleasing however that we have scored a ‘good’ rating for Pledge Point 1, which relates to treating people fairly and with dignity and respect, providing fair access to services. This is the cornerstone of our service. Frontline officers and others delivering services directly to the public are clearly making significant strides in delivering a quality service in this area. We are not complacent and remain committed to improving our service delivery across all areas of the organisation."

We take very seriously the duty upon us to listen and act on feedback, and resolve complaints swiftly. That is evidenced in the 16 per cent drop in complaints we have seen in the past year.

We are delighted to announce that from Monday October 12th, every police station in Gwent will offer a leaflet explaining how to feedback and, if necessary, complain. New feedback postcards - similar to those used in restaurants and other service establishments - will be provided, together with postage paid envelopes.

In addition, we are launching a dedicated telephone line (01495 745933) where you can record your views and get a response within 24 hours. For those with internet access, we also have an email address for pledge related matters; send your feedback to pledgeline@gwent.pnn.police.uk