Police Now is working in partnership with the Home Office to recruit outstanding officers to the police service, including West Midlands Police, in support of the national Police Uplift Programme.

Police Constable Safyaan Javid joined West Midlands Police in the summer of 2020 via Police Now’s National Graduate Leadership Programme, after graduating university with a degree in Information Communications Technology and a master’s in Engineering Management. 

He said: “I initially thought I couldn’t be a police officer because I had a stammer and I thought a lot of police officers probably don’t have a speech impediment. I met a police officer in West Midlands Police who had a slight stammer as well and that really inspired me, I thought if he can be a police officer then I can be as well.

“In the past year I have moved across different areas to tackle crime within the community. Each area has its own complexities and challenges and I have been able to develop projects in the community to bring awareness to important issues and proactively reduce crime.”

PC Javid has since become the Faith Forum Lead in Birmingham East, using his four languages to build stronger relationships within the community and working with senior policing staff and faith leaders to secure funding and organise public initiatives.

In this role, PC Javid is working with Muslim faith leaders to set up a forum for Asian women in the community, creating a safe space where victims of crime or domestic violence are supported in developing their careers and job plans. He is also working on ‘Mental Health Mondays’, creating focus groups between members of the public, police officers and faith leaders, with the aim of building a collaborative approach towards crime prevention and crime reduction.  

PC Javid added: “I am particularly excited about this piece of work as it takes a new approach to working with the community by shifting the faith forum lead role into the neighbourhood policing team, which I think has real potential. It is so important to push forward with changes like this and, no matter your rank, be brave enough to propose new approaches to policing.”

Police Now has partnered with West Midlands Police for six years and has recruited a total of 172 police constables and 26 detective constables to the force to date, with a further cohort of detectives preparing to start their academy training in March.

Applications for the National Graduate Leadership Programme are closing soon. The structured, two-year programme supports graduates in neighbourhood policing roles across England and Wales.

Clare Power, Police Now’s Recruitment and Marketing Director, said: “We believe that neighbourhood policing is vital in supporting some of the most vulnerable members of our society. In a neighbourhood policing role, officers can become leaders in society and work alongside residents, local organisations and charities to reduce crime and transform a community into a safe and thriving place to live. 

“In order to achieve this, it is crucial that our police service reflects the communities it seeks to serve and that we recruit outstanding graduates and career-changers to become leaders on the policing frontline. Only when the police has a workforce that is diverse, in both thought and background, can we lead real change in society and be the difference we wish to see.”