Press release

Local impact – Surrey

13th May, 2021

Police Now officers tackling crime and anti-social behaviour across Surrey

Wednesday 12 May 2021

Nearly 40,000 fewer anti-social behaviour incidents nationally in areas with Police Now officers – equivalent to 14% fall

Substantial decrease in criminal damage & arson, burglary and theft amongst other crimes

Police Now attracts and develops the most diverse group of officers in policing

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

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 Sami Halepota of Surrey Police won a national Tilley Award for his part in a six-month operation dedicated to safeguarding young people in the community. He pinpoints anti-social behaviour and drug dealing by young people – driven by criminal gangs from London running “County Lines” operations – as one of the most challenging issues he has to deal with. He dealt with one prolific offender carrying out violent drug crimes by securing a Criminal Behaviour Order, identifying the mental health issues and drug dependency at the heart of problem and ensuring sufficient support was in place.

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 Surrey Police. Chief Constable Gavin Stephens has invested in his communities by partnering with Police Now for the past five years, with 67 police constables and 36 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. Recruitment data shows that of those starting on Police Now’s programmes in Surrey in 2020/21, 21% identified as coming from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background and 54% identified as women.

Speaking about the importance of a diverse police force, PC Halepota said: “A representative police force can build more confidence with different sections of society. This means the police is more connected to the community which trusts us, and so people report more, cooperate with the police more and as a result we understand issues much better and are much more effective at policing.”

“We’re incredibly proud of the positive impact our participants continue to have within their local communities, and their commitment to driving positive change with their colleagues so that everyone in our society, including the most vulnerable, have a chance to thrive”.

David Spencer

Co-founder of Police Now and former Detective Chief Inspector

Impact in the
community

SAMI HALEPOTA | Neighbourhood police officer

Q&A with Police Constable Sami Halepota

Neighbourhood Police Officer

National Graduate Leadership Programme Alumnus

Surrey Police

PC Halepota is a participant on our National Graduate Leadership Programme who recently won a Tilley Award for his work with Surrey Police. Here he talks to us about his time on the programme so far and the impact he is having in his community.

Police Now is trying to increase diversity in the force. Do you think having a force that better reflects the community it serves helps to bring down crimes like anti-social behaviour and why?

Yes it does, because a representative police service can build more confidence with different sections of society. This means the police are more connected to a community which trusts us; people report more and cooperate with the police more, and as a result we understand issues much better and are much more effective at policing. A diverse workforce also improves the police’s understanding of issues faced by the community, especially on issues such as hate crime and hate related harassment and ASB.

What was the most important lesson you took from your training with Police Now that has enabled you to deal with crime / support your community?

Recognising the role of socioeconomic deprivation in causing vulnerability among victims as well as suspects and how this is results in crime. We all need to address the socioeconomic deprivation causing crime if we are to find long term lasting change and crime reduction.

Have you implemented any new initiatives to reduce ASB or burglary crimes, or build confidence in policing in your community?

I have recently been working to get a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) on a key nominal within the area who has been repeatedly coming to attention for drugs and violent offences. In addition to the CBO I have been working closely with their parents and have called all their support services to meetings in order to address their vulnerabilities which are causing their criminality in the first place. From this I have recognised that the nominal has mental health issues and a Class A drug habit which makes their behaviour worse and has led them down the path of criminality. I am ensuring that they have appropriate support and seeking conditions in the CBO to ensure they engage with support services. This would ensure the community is one step closer to long term solution to the disproportionate impact by this one individual.

What has been the moment that you have been most proud of professionally in the last 22 months?

Winning the Tilley Award for Op Annexe. It was recognition for 6 months of continuous hard work and dedication to serve the community and safeguard the youths in the face of push back due to underfunding, long hours, multiple difficult investigations, and engagement with a range of community members. I talk about it fully here.

Data references

Using data taken from Police Recorded Crime Statistics, the independently peer-reviewed figures compare the 22-month period from October 2016 to July 2018 before any Police Now officers had joined their local communities to the period when they joined from October 2018 to July 2020.

The data presented here is subject to limitations with Police Recorded Crime Statistics and methodology. More details on this are available at the bottom of the following Police Now webpage.