Police Now officers are playing a vital role in tackling crime and anti-social behaviour in Kent.
Communities nationwide where Police Now officers have been posted for the last 22-months have seen 38,772 fewer incidents of anti-social behaviour compared to the same time period from October 2016 – equivalent to a 14 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 14,301 fewer incidents of criminal damage & arson – a fall of 13 per cent. There were 12,460 fewer incidents of burglary – a fall of 16 per cent – and 31,732 fewer incidents of theft, equivalent to a 14 per cent fall.
PC Beth Honess of Kent Police has used Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBOs), Community Protection Warnings and Closure Orders to disrupt criminality such as thefts, shopliftings and regular assaults within local high streets. This has had a positive impact on highly affected town centres as business owners operate with reduced fear of regular shoplifters.
In September 2020, PC Honess issued a CBO to a prolific shoplifter who would often assault anyone who attempted to stop her from stealing. The woman received conditions that banned her from high streets that she offended in, but she was also known to attend an address of a vulnerable adult and ‘cuckoo’, so the order also banned her from this address. This particular order was issued for a period of five years – she has since breached the conditions of the order and has received several custodial sentences as a result, reducing the incidents involving this individual.
PC Ben Cadge, also of Kent Police produced a shoplifting pack to help streamline the process for business owners and police when retail thefts happen. The pack contains lots of useful information and documents as well as a statement template and business impact statement to ensure a standardised process when incidents occur. When the investigating officer arrives, they will be handed the evidential package without the need to chase up missing information and evidence – leaving them to identify and apprehend the suspect, saving time, money and stress.
PC Cadge said: “In order to really break down barriers and walls, we must first seek to find unity in our common goals and interests, be open to differences of opinion, and not monolithic in our pursuit towards community cohesion. We must be diverse in our approach to these issues.”
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 Kent Police. Chief Constable Alan Pughsley QPM has invested in his communities by partnering with Police Now for the past two years, with six police 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, 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.
PC Beth Honess said: “I feel that having a force that can relate to their community better enables communication and increases levels of trust and co-operation that will allow for better investigation and disruption of crime.”