RESIDENTS have been reaping the benefits of a new community policing model which has seen a police constable (PC) and police community support officer (PCSO) dedicated to every community in the county.
The initiative, which had a major impact on the St Elphin’s estate in Howley, Warrington, was introduced last September and was developed by Police and Crime Commissioner David Keane, who wants Cheshire to be the leading police service for delivering community policing.
It built on his already successfully delivered initiative to provide a dedicated PCSO and police-community base for each area.
For the past six months, the new community police officers have been working with their fellow PCSO, the wider policing team, and key partners to build relationships within the community, and help to solve problems at their root cause before they become more serious. They have:
Spent more time in the heart of their dedicated communities, dealing with issues that matter most to local residents.
Done everything they can to keep in touch with our communities during the Covid pandemic by holding police surgeries and public meetings online or through social media.
Increased engagement with schools, even when they’ve been closed, by holding online sessions with those who have been homeschooling.
Paid more attention to our roads by undertaking a session of road safety activity each week.
This work has been further boosted by funding packages for each of the community areas, with £1,000 made available by the Police and Crime Commissioner for worthy projects or causes using money seized from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
In Warrington Community officers worked effectively with colleagues across the Constabulary to reduce ongoing issues on the St Elphin’s estate in Howley.
Reports from residents relating to persistent anti-social issues and criminality in the area were acted on with a significant uplift in robust policing which resulted in an increase in stop searches, arrests and self-generated intelligence.
This, coupled with a number of successful warrants, led to the arrests of individuals who were key to the issues prevalent on the estate.
The combined work of the problem-solving team, local policing officers and the local authority saw a significant improvement to the community which has been sustained to the present day, with feedback from the community being positive.
David said: “It’s now six months since we launched the roll-out of our community policing model to provide a dedicated police constable and PCSO for all 122 policing communities in Cheshire, along with a community base and a funding package for each community.
“We’ve seen how this initiative is providing more opportunities for local police to work more closely with local communities to meet local priorities.
“I’m pleased that, despite the challenges we continue to face as a result of Covid-19, we’ve seen an increase in visible police activity in every area and our officers and staff continue to adapt to serve local residents in light of lockdown restrictions.
“Where restrictions have meant we couldn’t meet face-to-face, officers and PCSOs have made every effort to connect to their communities in other ways to continue supporting those most vulnerable.
“This is testament to our commitment to deliver a truly local police service that puts residents at the heart of everything it does. I’m delighted to see the real gains that residents are experiencing.”
Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims has overseen the smooth transition into the new policing model, and says that it should serve as a warning to those who continue to cause harm to our communities.
She added: “The healthy working relationships that that we enjoy with our partners and the rollout of the 122 policing model has enabled us to prioritise vulnerable people, whilst dealing with issues that matter most to our communities.
“I’ve been delighted with the progress we’ve made and I’m keen to see us develop that further by not only continuing to improve our levels of engagement, but also making sure we further increase positive outcomes for victims and residents who are blighted by criminality in their communities.
“I want to send a really strong message to criminals that we have built a network of eyes and ears, and will continue to work together to make Cheshire a safer place to live and work.”
