Police Now officers are playing a vital role in tackling crime and anti-social behaviour in West Yorkshire.
Communities where Police Now officers have been posted for the last 22-months across the force area have seen 12,678 fewer incidents of anti-social behaviour compared to the same time period from October 2016 – equivalent to a 24 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 5,350 fewer incidents of burglary– a fall of 22 per cent. There were 4,306 fewer incidents of vehicle crime – a fall of 19 per cent – and 3,602 fewer incidents of other theft (including theft by an employee, blackmail and making off without payment) equivalent to a 17 per cent fall.
DC Lauren Finch of West Yorkshire Police passed the national investigators’ exam in November, progressing to the next stage in her career to become a detective. This would not have been possible without the knowledge and experience she gained from working in the Neighbourhood Policing Team for two years, where she notably created a forum for local businesses to join to help tackle the problems of local shoplifters and anti-social behaviour. As the forum was so successful, weekly meetings were arranged for local businesses to come together and share information to support each other – which now run without police involvement. The valuable lessons DC Finch learnt taught her to identify the best investigation techniques that would result in the best outcome for all those involved and bring offenders to justice.
DC Finch said: “Police Now has shown me that no matter how small you think the crime is, the crime is still significant to the victim who is living with the trauma of the incident. It’s not always appropriate to treat all victims of crime in the same way, as this may not give you the best outcome long-term to create a positive impact on the community around you.”
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 West Yorkshire Police. Chief Constable John Robins partnered with Police Now for two years, with 15 police constables joining 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, 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.