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Press release

Local Impact – Warwickshire

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

Wednesday 9 June 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 Warwickshire.

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 Aaron Sahota of Warwickshire Police has been working with his colleagues on a newly formed ‘gangs team,’ using organised crime strategies to tackle violent gang behaviour in his local area, Rugby. As part of this role, PC Sahota is working with The Prince’s Trust, a youth charity that helps young people get into jobs, education and training, to encourage gang members onto their programme and away from a life of crime.

PC Sahota said “I am particularly proud of my work on the gangs team and with Prince’s Trust, however there are countless other examples of proud moments during my time in service – from breaking down county lines to capturing violent offenders and safeguarding vulnerable people. None of these moments would have been possible without working with equally dedicated, hard-working colleagues. Warwickshire may not be the biggest force in the country, but we punch well above our weight.”

PC Harry Clay of Warwickshire Police also worked with his neighbourhood policing colleagues to crack down on county lines drug dealing, as part of ‘Operation Switch’. Intelligence based proactive patrols led to several arrests of out-of-town suspects who were involved in county lines. As well as this, increased partnership work with local authorities such as the district council housing, social services, and charities including the Salvation Army allowed greater safeguarding measures to be put in place to protect vulnerable adults who are targets for ‘cuckooing’. This is where a county lines gang will use a vulnerable adult’s address to conduct their criminal activity, often via threatening means.  

PC Clay said: “Community engagement and public perception is a vital part of the work police do to decrease crime and ASB. I am fortunate to be part of the great work that is being done under Operation Switch.”

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’s National Graduate Leadership Scheme is part of the Home Office’s police uplift programme, and supports the wider recruitment of student police officers to protect and serve communities across England and Wales. Warwickshire Police are also currently recruiting directly through their force apprenticeship programme.

Police Now has recruited a total of 1,830 officers across 33 forces in the UK, including Warwickshire Police. Chief Constable Martin Jelley QPM (Queen’s Police Medal) has invested in his communities having partnered with Police Now for the past four years, with eight police constables and nine 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 of those starting on Police Now’s National Graduate Leadership Programme in Warwickshire in 2019, one in three (33 per cent) identified as coming from a black, Asian and minority ethnic background.

“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

Neighbourhood Police Officer | Aaron Sahota

Q&A with Police Constable Aaron Sahota

Neighbourhood Police Officer

National Graduate Leadership Programme Participant

Warwickshire Police

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?

Absolutely. A police force that reflects the community it serves builds trust and confidence, encouraging the public to come forward to officers with their issues because they believe we understand them. This helps us be more proactive in our approach to crimes like anti-social behaviour, building solutions that prevent crimes from happening in the first place or at least before they escalate into something more serious.

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?

Police Now reinforced my belief that you can make a real difference as an individual officer. Through all I have learnt in-force about real, operational police work I have maintained a positive, hopeful attitude which prevents me from giving up even when a particular problem seems difficult to solve.

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

I have recently been part of a newly formed proactive ‘gangs team’ tackling gangs in my local area and their violent behaviour towards each other. This initiative has been run using a serious and organised crime strategy. As part of my role in this team, I ensured I took what I learnt from Police Now and my time in neighbourhood policing to supplement my relentless enforcement activity with some prevention too. I built a relationship with the Prince’s Trust, a national programme that helps disadvantaged young people into further education and employment, to encourage gang members to join their programme. Through the success of the gangs team, Warwickshire Police is now considering setting up other teams that will tackle the biggest force priorities.

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

I am particularly proud about my work on the gangs team and with Prince’s Trust, however there are countless other examples of proud moments during my time in service – from breaking down county lines to capturing violent offenders and safeguarding vulnerable people. None of these moments would have been possible without working with equally dedicated, hard-working colleagues. Warwickshire may not be the biggest force in the country but we punch well above our weight.

Q&A with Police Constable Harry Clay

Neighbourhood Police Officer

National Graduate Leadership Programme Participant

Warwickshire Police

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 allows for better community engagement with the public due to the more diverse representation. Community engagement and public perception is a vital part of the work police do to decrease crime and ASB.

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

Working as a team under Operation Switch allowed the local SNT to crack down on county lines drug dealing that was beginning to operate in my local area. Intelligence based proactive patrols led to several arrests of out of town suspects who were involved in county lines. As well as this, increased partnership working with local authorities such as the district council housing, social services, and charities such as the Salvation Army has allowed greater safeguarding measures to be put in place to protect vulnerable adults who are targets for ‘cuckooing’. This is where a county lines gang will use a vulnerable adult’s address to conduct their criminal activity, often via threatening means.

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

Being able to make a real impact on tackling county lines and also safeguarding vulnerable adults who are prone to exploitation. I am fortunate to be part of the great work that is being done under Operation Switch.

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.

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