Sergeant Ronnie Henderson joined the Metropolitan Police Service in 2018 via Police Now’s graduate programme. Previously a recruitment specialist, Ronnie now leads a neighbourhood policing team in one of London’s busiest tourist hotspots.
Covering the demanding area of Vincent Square, just a short walk from Buckingham Palace and Parliament, Ronnie’s team is responsible for around 100,000 daily visitors and 15,000 residents.
Since July 2025, his team has reduced anti-social behaviour incidents in the area by more than 60%, cutting reports from almost 140 a month to around 50. Over the same period, detections of drug offences have increased by 75%, with more than 30 offenders charged.
The results are part of Operation Varenna, aimed at reducing drug dealing and the associated anti-social behaviour in the area. It involves a number of approaches – high-visibility patrols, plain-clothes operations to target drug dealers, and community reassurance, which is a key part of neighbourhood policing.
For Ronnie, neighbourhood policing is about addressing the wider impact crime has on communities: “It’s been good to see the decrease in anti-social behaviour calls across this period. A lot of the harm from drug offending isn’t just the dealing itself, it’s the associated social nuisance that comes with it – the kind that’s visible on the street and has an impact on communities.”
Ronnie’s team has also spent time ensuring the public feels confident in reporting crime and anti-social behaviour.
Ronnie said: “While we’ve been encouraging people to tell us if there’s an issue, we’ve also seen an overall decrease, which suggests people are letting us know about it and hopefully there’s also less of it happening.
“I’m really pleased to have led on that and to see that impact at a hyper-local level.”
Ronnie, who studied ancient history at university and went on to work in recruitment, hadn’t considered a career in policing until he came across Police Now at a careers fair.
He said: “I definitely didn’t grow up thinking I wanted to be a police officer. I got chatting to one of the team, found out a bit more and quite speculatively put an application in, and didn’t think too much of it at the time. Eight years later, I’m still loving it.”
After three years on a response team in Westminster, Ronnie returned as a sergeant to Pimlico and Victoria, the same area where he had first been posted as a constable.
He said: “It’s been quite nice to come full circle. Some of the community members are still the same.”
Eight years after joining through Police Now, Ronnie is now helping train the next generation of neighbourhood police officers at the Police Now residential academy.
With a passion for supporting future officers, Ronnie’s advice for anyone considering a career in policing is straightforward: “Absolutely go for it, if it sparks your interest even just a little bit. There are very few careers where you have the power to affect real change in people’s lives.
“You’ll go home most days thinking you’ve done something positive.”
