Driven by his desire to make an impact, Sanober swapped robotics engineering for a role on the policing frontline.
Since joining Police Now’s neighbourhood specialism, he has transformed a local housing estate and successfully tackled anti-social behaviour and drug-crime.
He tells us about his journey into policing and how he uses problem-solving and partnership skills to reduce crime and build public confidence in policing.
Why did you go from engineering to policing?
I graduated university with a master’s degree in robotics engineering, and then taught coding, gaming, and mathematics.
While teaching, I loved seeing the impact I was making on young people and seeing their progress. It made me think about what I wanted from a long-term career, and I realised it was just that: impact.
I hadn’t considered policing before, but when I saw Police Now’s neighbourhood specialism, I realised the potential – an active role, working in the community, trying to make people’s lives better. I decided to go for it, and I’m so glad I did. I am loving the role.
How has Police Now supported you?
Police Now really helped me be myself while pursuing something completely new.
I didn’t know many police officers, and I didn’t feel it was very common for someone of my background or culture to join the police. I’ll admit I was nervous, but my Police Now recruitment officer answered all my questions and was always there to talk things through.
Since joining, I have met sergeants who are from similar backgrounds to me and colleagues who have been so welcoming, but it was Police Now that got me through the door.
What impact have you made since joining your neighbourhood team?
I am really proud of the work I’ve done to prevent anti-social behaviour (ASB) and drug crime at a local housing estate on my ward.
I spent hours piecing together evidence, identifying suspects, and talking to residents to build a clear picture of what was happening. It became apparent that the estate was being used as a base to hide drugs and weapons and make exchanges, to support a larger drug dealing operation.
I led several high-visibility patrols and weapons sweeps across the estate, apprehending suspects, deterring offenders, and reassuring the public.
Neighbourhood policing is all about finding root causes of problems and working with partners to find solutions; it was through talking to a housing officer at the council that I found out the ‘dry risers’ on top of the buildings could be opened and weren’t getting properly locked. We did a search and uncovered that it was the dry risers being used as key hiding places – we seized illegal drugs, a firearm, knives, and clothing. Now, the dry risers all get properly secured and locked, and it’s been a major deterrence and disruptor to the drugs operation.
Since then, we’ve received no further reports from the estate about ASB and drug-related crime – it’s made such a difference to the people living there and their quality of life.
Why is this one of your proudest accomplishments on the programme so far?
I took this case on only two weeks after joining my neighbourhood policing team. Although I was new, I really pushed myself to be ambitious and act with confidence, and my colleagues backed up my efforts – it all paid off.
I also spent a lot of time talking to members of the public and becoming a familiar face for them, which is an invaluable part of neighbourhood policing. I was patrolling at the estate again recently and one of the residents told me how grateful they were for the work we’d done.
When you spend a lot of time seeing negative comments about the police across social media or from the public, it can be disheartening, but its these moments of connection that really remind me how impactful our work is. People need our support and they need to see us working hard for them – neighbourhood policing provides that visibility and long-term support.
What advice would you give to others considering joining the National Graduate Programme?
My advice is to go for it – you’ll learn so much and you’ll grow as a person. Policing is a tough career, but it really does build you up and shape you in the best of ways.
I’ve learnt so many new skills and I’ve come to develop a much deeper understanding of London and my community. You’ll meet people from so many different walks of life, and you’ll become a better person for it.
– Police Constable Sanober Hasan, Metropolitan Police Service
