Neighbourhood Policing a “crucial role”

A week-long celebration is currently being held to recognise the “crucial role” being played by Neighbourhood Policing teams.

Dyfed-Powys Police says that its Neighbourhood Policing is a specialism and claims that its model is the “envy of the world”. 

This is the first time such a week of action has been held to recognise the work that Neighbourhood Policing officers, PCSOs and volunteers do within our communities.   

Dyfed-Powys Police Deputy Chief Constable, and NPCC Neighbourhood Policing Portfolio Lead, Claire Parmenter, said: “Neighbourhood Policing officers, PCSOs and volunteers perform such a crucial role in the landscape of policing.

“The work they do to prevent crime from happening through early intervention and developing new ways of tackling crime through problem solving is crucial. But equally important is the strong links they build with our communities, which means they are best placed to gather intelligence on a range of issues.

“These strong links with local residents, partners, and businesses help create our local policing priorities that can make a real difference in communities.

“Thank you to all the amazing, hard-working neighbourhood officers, PCSOs and volunteers who do an incredible job keeping us safe, but also feeling safe.”

There will also be a focus on the wellbeing of neighbourhood teams during the week, and a schedule of events and materials is underway to support them.

One example being shared by the the force highlights a team of PCSOs who worked during the pandemic to gain a better understanding of the challenges facing the deaf community, and developing important community relationships. 

Their initiative won an award after nine PCSOs attended weekly British Sign Language (BSL) sessions, putting in more than 150 hours of study time and achieving Level 2 qualifications.

Their tutor Sarah Lawrence said: “They immersed themselves in deaf culture and history, and the challenges facing deaf people.

“By learning BSL they have completely changed that dynamic, the lack of trust within the deaf community and sometimes the lack of understanding. Through a shared language Dyfed-Powys Police now has more knowledge and understanding of the barriers people face when accessing policing services.”