Police Now officer spearheads successful operation and captures New Scotland Yard’s attention

Police Constable Nathaniel Ivy has spearheaded an ongoing new operation to improve pedestrian safety across Croydon Town Centre – which has already resulted in 150 traffic stops, 12 arrests, 17 vehicles seized, 5 stop and searches, 95 traffic offences reported to the Met’s prosecution team, and an additional 19 police warnings issued.

Passionate about proactive policing, Police Now officer Nathaniel initially launched a simple operation – patrolling a busy street where there had been several reports of dangerous driving, including speeding, illegal driving in pedestrian areas, and e-bikes with illegal and dangerous modifications.

He thought creatively about applying traffic policing legislation and knowledge to his neighbourhood role, to address these issues important to the local community.

Thanks to the overwhelmingly positive response from the community and business owners in the area, Nathaniel was asked by senior officers to scale-up the operation and has since led seven similar operations to drive these results – with more planned.

Nathaniel joined Croydon Safer Neighbourhoods Team via Police Now’s National Graduate Programme – a national pathway into neighbourhood policing, which recruits, trains and supports graduates to be outstanding leaders and problem-solvers in communities across England and Wales.

He has since ranked in the borough of Croydon’s ‘Top 15’ neighbourhood police officers, in relation to the number of arrests made (between February 2024-25).

The operation’s high-visibility patrols have also helped address drug and knife crime in the area, by acting as a deterrent and an opportunity to apprehend suspects; maximising officer resources to target multiple priority areas, in concentrated days of action.

The operation now occurs on a regular basis across the whole ward, thanks to its initial success.

Nathaniel previously worked in a Young Offender Institution but was encouraged by Police Now’s campaign to join policing, where he could engage with communities and proactively prevent crime at its roots. 

As a result of his brilliant community work and dedication to his training, he has been invited to attend the management board at New Scotland Yard this summer to gain further valuable experience and continue to excel as a frontline leader. He was also awarded the ‘Frontline Hero of the Year‘ award at the NPCC Roads Policing Conference 2025 for his outstanding work.