New neighbourhood policing training programme announced

Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Barber, has welcomed plans announced yesterday, Tuesday 10 September, to roll out dedicated neighbourhood policing training to police forces across the country.

The Neighbourhood Policing Pathway, developed by the College of Policing, aims to improve the standards and consistency in neighbourhood policing across forces and help officers build the skills they need to engage with local communities and tackle the crime and anti-social behavioural issues that affect them.

The training is currently being piloted in eleven force areas, including the Thames Valley.

Matthew Barber said: “Visible and proactive neighbourhood policing is critical to preventing and disrupting crime. It also makes a genuine difference to people’s feelings of safety and plays a crucial role in building trust and confidence in the police.

“Here in Thames Valley, the number of officers in neighbourhood roles has doubled in the past year and the further expansion of, and investment in, community policing is a core part of my Police and Crime Plan.

“It is a great endorsement of our prioritisation of neighbourhood policing that Thames Valley Police was selected as one of the pilot areas and that the Force is helping to influence some of the training that will form part of the nationwide rollout.”

More information about the Neighbourhood Policing Pathway is available on the College of Policing’s website.