Police Constable Elliot Moore has eradicated anti-social behaviour (ASB) near a local hospital in Guildford, by working in partnership with the Chief Nurse and Guildford Borough Council’s Senior Trees Officer.

Elliot joined Surrey Police last year via Police Now’s National Graduate Leadership Programme; a two-year neighbourhood policing programme which supports talented graduates to make a positive impact in the communities they serve, through creative problem-solving and frontline leadership.

Police Constable Elliot Moore on the Guildford Safer Neighbourhood Team said:

“It came to our attention that there had been a number of incidents of ASB near a local hospital and its neighbouring supermarket.

“To fully understand the extent of the issues, I worked with the hospital’s Chief Nurse to organise an engagement event, speaking to hospital staff about any ASB or related criminality they’d been experiencing in the area. Reports included instances of verbal abuse, intimidation and in one case, serious violence. A path between the hospital and a nearby supermarket was a particular hotspot area.

“I was then able to provide the local council with a detailed and strong case to provide resources to cut back the trees and foliage on the hotspot path between the hospital and supermarket. The council’s Senior Trees Officer led on this, which hugely reduced the opportunity for offenders to hide. The simple increase in visibility and openness helped create a safer commute for the hard-working hospital staff, who come in everyday to support those in need of care. 

“As a result, we have had no further reports of ASB in the hotspot area since. The Safer Neighbourhood Team has also built a much stronger relationship with the local hospital and supermarket, providing resources about safeguarding, police support, and how to report crime anonymously through Crimestoppers or to our team directly.

“Ensuring we have strong relationships with the public is essential for delivering frontline policing and creating safer neighbourhoods; we can only do this when the public feel confident reporting criminality to us and when community partners work with us on long-term solutions. This is why neighbourhood policing is so important, and why I decided to join Surrey Police via Police Now’s National Graduate Leadership Programme – which has a focus on creative problem-solving and building public confidence in policing.”

The Senior Trees Officer at Guildford Borough Council said: “When approached by PC Moore and informed of the issues that had been reported, we worked together to agree ways of improving visibility in the area. I’m pleased that reports of anti-social behaviour in the area have decreased since we completed this work.”