Alumni Impact Awards: Brilliant Community Problem Solving, Metropolitan Police Service
Wednesday 4th October 2023
Police Constable Jacob Davies was presented with the ‘Brilliant Community Problem Solving’ Award at Police Now’s national Alumni Impact Awards, for significantly reducing anti-social behaviour (ASB) and improving public confidence in policing at a block of flats on his ward.
The annual Alumni Impact Awards celebrate the achievements of officers across England and Wales who have graduated from Police Now’s two-year programmes and have gone above and beyond to reduce crime, support their communities and build public trust and confidence in policing.
Eight officers from forces across England and Wales were recognised at the awards ceremony on Friday 22nd September, at Cutler’s Hall in Sheffield. The awards were presented by Police Now’s Chief Executive Officer Kurtis Christoforides and members of the Police Now HQ team.
WINNER: Brilliant Community Problem Solving, PC Jacob Davies
Jacob joined the Metropolitan Police Service in 2020 via Police Now’s National Graduate Leadership Programme. Prior to him joining his Safer Neighbourhoods Team in West Area, there had been persistent ongoing reports of ASB at an address on the ward for a number of years. The situation appeared to be escalating, with reports of Class A drug use and residents being subject to verbal and even physical abuse.
Jacob worked with colleagues across the force to utilise covert and overt policing techniques and gather intelligence about the offences being committed, including organising plain-clothed patrols and securing a warrant for the property. He also made regular home visits and built positive relationships with affected residents, some of whom were elderly and vulnerable.
Thanks to Jacob’s work and a successful warrant, a closure order was obtained for the address. The closure order provided the local council with enough evidence to evict the resident from the flat permanently. Jacob further linked in with force and council colleagues to ensure the evicted tenant was safeguarded and provided with alternative accommodation, so they were not left homeless.
Jacob made a proactive effort to share knowledge and learning from the work with his colleagues and encouraged more multi-agency partnership working across the ward. New meetings were set up to improve communication between wards and resulted in problem-solving techniques being better embedded within the local neighbourhood teams, improving the consistency and quality of service delivered to victims.
PC Jacob Davies said: “Residents at the block of flats stated that police actions dramatically improved both their quality of life and general feelings of safety. The Safer Neighbourhoods Team were even invited for a celebratory barbecue at the block of flats, something that would have been unthinkable eighteen months ago. Working to build trust amongst the residents at this property has had a positive knock-on effect, as one resident who previously demonstrated low trust in the police passed information on to me months later about a different address on my ward. I was able to use this intelligence to obtain another warrant, resulting in an offensive weapon being seized. It goes to show how building strong relationships in the community allows for more effective neighbourhood policing.”
