Police Now officers are playing a vital role in tackling crime and anti-social behaviour in Devon & Cornwall.
Communities where Police Now officers have been posted for the last 22-months across the force area have seen 1,128 fewer incidents of anti-social behaviour compared to the same time period from October 2016 – equivalent to a 13 per cent drop.
Officers on Police Now’s National Graduate Leadership Programme have been working alongside their colleagues within their local neighbourhood teams.
As well as the drop in anti-social behaviour, communities have also seen 764 fewer incidents of shoplifting – a fall of more than a quarter (28 per cent). There were 172 fewer incidents of burglary – a fall of 23 per cent – and 109 fewer incidents of theft from the person, equivalent to a fall of more than a third (34 per cent).
DC Lara Tyrrell-Moore of Devon & Cornwall Police, who is based in Newton Abbot and Totnes in South Devon, left her role as a teacher to pursue a career in policing. From keeping vulnerable people safe to engaging with young people who were venting their frustrations about the pandemic, she has very much enjoyed the variety of work so far and has found she has lots of transferrable skills. She said: “With teaching it’s all about communication, and that’s really applicable to policing. I think my background in teaching has really helped me become a good police officer. It’s meant I’m happy to communicate and build relationships with people very quickly.”
DC Tyrell-Moore joined Devon & Cornwall Police via Police Now’s National Detectives Programme in January 2021 where a core element of the programme includes a rotation on response within local communities. Speaking about her experiences so far, she said: “I am really enjoying the problem solving aspect of the job; you get very little information, and very little time, and you turn up to a situation and have to use your communication skills. You have to work out what’s happened already, what needs to happen next and what police involvement is appropriate. Recently, my colleagues and I were with an elderly vulnerable couple for five hours and had to get an ambulance involved, I spent over an hour and a half on the phone to every possible support service. At the end of the day, those two 80-year-old adults were safeguarded and all the relevant services were looped in, so I felt it was a very satisfying job – I really like helping people!”
DC Tyrrell-Moore had to get used to the pace and uncertainty of policing – and is now thriving in her role. She said: “I initially found the pace and expectation tough but in hindsight, having gone through it, it was really useful. I had to get used to not knowing what I was doing beyond a couple of weeks in advance. The academy set me up really well for the real life of policing, because you never know what’s going to happen.”
Police Now’s mission is to transform communities by recruiting, developing and inspiring diverse leaders in policing.
Officers on Police Now’s programmes develop skills in leadership and problem-solving. They share a commitment to public service, fighting crime and inspiring social change alongside their colleagues.
Police Now has recruited a total of 1,830 officers across 33 forces in the UK, including Devon & Cornwall Police. Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer has invested in his communities by partnering with Police Now for the past three years, with seven police constables and 11 detective constables joining the force via this route.
Police Now consistently recruits more officers who are women or from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds compared to any other entry route into policing. Police Now recruitment data shows that, nationally, nearly one in five (17 per cent) of those joining Police Now’s National Graduate Leadership Programme in 2020 identified as coming from a black, Asian and minority ethnic background and more than half (54 per cent) identified as women.