COLLEGE OF POLICING WHY THE TIME TO
PROFESSIONALISE NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING IS NOW
College of Policing to introduce dedicated training for neighbourhood police officers and police community support officers (PCSO)
For the first time, neighbourhood police officers and police community support officers will be recognised as policing specialists, with a clearly defined, professionally accredited career pathway. It follows an
announcement by the Minister for Policing, Fire and Crime, the Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson at September’s Police Superintendents’ Association Conference, committing significant Home Office funding for the roll out of the College of Policing’s neighbourhood policing programme. The programme, currently being
issues. It also covers problem solving and anti-social behaviour, providing neighbourhood teams with the knowledge and skills they need to tackle the issues that affect local communities.
“Our new professionalising neighbourhood policing training programme will be
available to all forces in 2025 and will boost the performance and capability of all neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs policing our communities.”
piloted in 11 forces, focuses on community engagement, supporting officers to build relationships to help to gather intelligence, cut crime and develop plans to deal with local
This could include issues such as drug dealing or drug use in public places, nuisance behaviour in neighbourhoods, harassment and street drinking. There is also specific training for those who lead neighbourhood teams. The need for the training is clear. As communities across England
and Wales evolve changes in crime patterns, technology, and expectations mean neighbourhood policing is more important than ever before. In the aftermath of the horrific murders of three girls at a community dance school in Southport it was neighbourhood officers who provided public reassurance in the local community. And, following the violent disorder that spread across parts of the country it is neighbourhood teams who are working with community leaders and partners to ease tensions and ensure people feel safe. This demonstrates the complex challenges neighbourhood teams deal with and their role as the recognisable face of policing to local people. When forces do it well, neighbourhood policing can have a real and lasting positive impact on communities. There is widespread international evidence that it can make people feel safer and improve satisfaction and confidence in the service. We also know the police workforce is less experienced than before. Twenty five percent of the workforce has less than 2 years’ experience and over a third have less than 5 years. At a time when many of the officers who work in neighbourhood policing teams are new in service, we need to ensure they are properly equipped to do the job, comparable to specialist colleagues in other areas of policing such as investigations or firearms. At the College of
Policing, we are ready to close that gap and help forces improve
neighbourhood policing, based on evidence of what works in practice. Our new professionalising neighbourhood policing training programme will be available to all forces in 2025 and will boost the performance and capability of all neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs policing our communities.
39 | POLICE | OCTOBER | 2024
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