Police Now officers are playing a vital role in tackling crime and anti-social behaviour in North Yorkshire.

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 Jessica Ashcroft of North Yorkshire Police works with a neighbourhood team covering York city centre. She was involved in a project to crack down on drug dealing on her patch. A hot spot map was made which seemed to highlight concentrated activity around one address. PC Ashcroft compiled an intelligence report to show what was happening and spoke with the housing department and local council. She secured a warrant on the property and then established that a second address was also apparently active. She held a briefing with raid teams and took a decision based on intelligence to include firearms back up. Drugs, money and an air rifle were found at the addresses and three arrests were made on suspicion of supplying drugs. PC Ashcroft sent letters to the community asking them for their reaction on the police activity and residents responded positively.

PC Ashcroft said: “I never wanted to work in an office, I’ve always wanted a job to make a difference and I think that this is the right job. You get the chance to be exposed to all kinds of situations and all kinds of opportunities to better people’s lives.”

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 North Yorkshire Police. Chief Constable Lisa Winward has invested in her communities by partnering with Police Now. Last year, 22 police constables joined the force via the National Graduate Leadership Programme.

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 of those starting the National Graduate Leadership Programme in North Yorkshire in 2020, more than two third (68 per cent) identified as women.