Nick Packham's blog

Disability Liaison Officers Update

You may remember, earlier in the year, I wrote about Disability Liaison Officer training that I’d been on. The role had recently been introduced to Sussex Police and we were still learning about what we’d be doing.

Since then, I’ve changed roles and rather than being a beat PCSO, I’m now working inside the station as a Public Engagement Officer with your local policing team. I am however still really interested in the role and how we as a police service engage with residents with disabilities.

I was really pleased to hear from PCSO Martina Shrimpton, one of my colleagues working in Brighton, about a visit she went on with Suchi (our Hate Crime Co-ordinator), PCSO Carol Manton and the Scope Inclusion Team, as part of their “Feel Safe” initiative.

Martina said;

The group have varied, mild to severe learning difficulties. I attended with PCSO Carol Manton and Suchi to meet the group at the Salvation Army last Thursday.

We touched on hate crime (on their level of understanding) and after an open discussion identified a male who was a victim of disablist hate crime, which hadn’t been reported to the police. The team are helping him write an email to me (they said it would be a good project for him) and then I’ll be arranging to go and see him at home.

We spoke with the group about this and they now know what this gentleman had experienced was wrong. We also chatted with them sharing what to do if they thought they were a victim of disablist crime or abuse, and that they should feel confident on letting their carers, friends, family or new friends in the police know. 
 
The group then showed us hand pictures that they had been colouring in, which helped them to remember who to contact or talk to if something was wrong. Each group member had added a name to each finger on the hand of people they could trust & would help them. I was pleased to see that police appeared on the “wrist” area of many of the pictures I had been shown. I aim to get promoted to one of the fingers over the next few months!

We also showed them the ultraviolet pens and had fun with the ultraviolet lights, which Scotty especially liked.

Suchi then did a quiz, where we discussed how you would contact the emergency services, when you would do it, how they would recognise when they need the emergency services and so on. John won this quiz hands down and won the prize of a toy police car, which he said would have pride of place on his mantle piece!
 
We then had a uniform trying on session which was really fun, and went outside to see the CCTV van.

The group then invited me to see one of their Fan Dance Theatre Company Performances which they are doing as part of the Brighton Festival.

I went with PCSO Sharon Baker and Suchi Chatterjee on Monday the 14th May and their performance was amazing. The Mayor was also in the audience which was very exciting for the performers. We saw a range of comedy, dance, and shadow puppetry (which was astounding). It was clear how much work the organizers and performers had put into the show. Not only was it fun to watch, but it was clear how those involved were enjoying performing for us, and I was very honored to have been invited.

I’m looking forward to doing more work with Scope Inclusion and I will be attending some more “Feel Safe” sessions over the next couple of weeks to meet other group members.

Events

If you’re interested in seeing “Footprints”, an event by Fan Dance Theatre Company for the Brighton Fringe Festival 2012, you can find out more details on the Brighton Fringe Festival website.

Fan Dance Theatre Company are an integrated performance company of performers with and without disabilities. Footprints is a show that is all about a city map. We perform a series of short performances over an hour about different places on a city map - places like the theatre, restaurant, shops, swimming pool. We consider the view of our disabled performers about these places and what possible things could happen. We encompass dance, acting and comedy into our performances.

There is also an event as part of the Artists Open Houses festival called “Otherside” where you can enjoy shadow puppetry, film, photography and visual art. You will experience outsider art through a journey of creativity. Be face to face with your senses through an interactive installation created by local artists with disabilities. All work has been produced by customers who access Scope Inclusion South East’s service. This project has been supported by a creative and dedicated staff team.

Wed 16 May 3:41PM

Policing Live Event 17th April 2012

Yesterday I was up at HQ in Lewes, working with our Corporate Communications team, on a day of live web chats with the different District Commanders from around Sussex.

The last time I was involved in something like this was way back in November when we launched Sussex Police People and had the live video broadcasts throughout the day.

This time though, it wasn’t me that was in the spotlight, it was the Chief Inspectors from the different Districts around Sussex. I had an equally hectic (and throroughly enjoyable) time behind the scenes, researching questions on Twitter under our #PolicingLive hashtag, posting the replies, providing updates on what was being said and dealing with the questions coming through on the Sussex Police website.

There was a real buzz in the office and despite the occasional minor glitch, the day went really well. I have to say that by the time I got home I was shattered and could hardly stay awake.

Thank you if you took part in the day and asked qyestions or gave us feedback. We really appreciate your comments and are, after all, here to serve you. If you weren’t able to join in then you can still catch up on what happened by visiting our website and clicking on the District Commander for your area.

Wed 18 Apr 10:10AM

Getting used to my new role.

Well I’m finally settled in at Brighton Police Station in my new role as PCSO Public Engagement Officer. I does feel strange sitting in an office while my colleagues are rushing about, going to jobs and talking about what they’ve been doing out on the street.

My temporary desk also overlooks the back yard of the Police station and every now and then I get a glimpse of officers running to their cars and driving out with their blue lights flashing. I still get that rush of excitement, wondering what they’re off to.

I’m sure I’ll get used to it in time though!

My first job this week is to take a snapshot look at the ways the different neighbourhood teams currently interact with you, be it through surgeries, face to face contact, Local Action Team Meetings, community newsletters or through monthly emails and so on. Already I can see that there are lots of ways our teams let you know what they’re doing and that some things work better in some areas and not so well in others. That’ll be the next step, to look at what can be done to sort that out.

I’ve also been learning how we should be letting you know about crime and anti-social behaviour through newsletters and our writing style.

I’m learning lots of new things too, things which I never knew as a beat PCSO and that I’d never thought about until now.

I’m also looking forward to riding into work every day! I can’t do it at the moment as I don’t have a bike space here (they’re really in demand!). I can’t wait to take in those early morning Brighton and Hove Seafront sights (from the cycle lane of course!)

Wed 4 Apr 10:36AM

My Last Week

It seems strange sitting here and thinking that in 2 days time I’ll be walking out of Hove Police Station for possibly the last time. I was having a conversation with my Dad who said that he’d spent 31 years working out of this station, and that he could write a book about it.  I’ve been here 9 years and I could probably do the same.

My message, to anybody who is thinking about becoming a PCSO, is simple.

Do it!

You will learn about life very quickly, you will gain experience no other job can give you, you will make friends though the work you do and most importantly, you can make a big difference to people’s lives.

So, to my last week on the street. It’s been hectic and it’s been sad, but it’s been fun too.

Sunday started off dealing with a drunk rough sleeper who’s trousers had fallen down and she was exposing herself. As a last resort, she was arrested Drunk and Disorderly and taken to custody. 24 hours later the “charge was dropped”, or in Police terms the job was “NFA’d”, meaning no further action would be taken.

On Monday, I had a load of house calls to make. One was to a household who’d been finding strange food stuffs in their front garden. It didn’t appear to be anything sinister but still concerning for the residents. Another was a problem that had been going on for over 50 years, since 1957!

Other jobs on Monday were a resident who was concerned about the safety of their neighbour, somebody who’s shed had been broken and welfare visits to some residents.

Yesterday I assisted with moving some rough sleepers on from Central Hove. One of the rough sleepers wasn’t particularly happy at being woken up and was abusive and aggressive. He soon calmed down once he’d woken up properly, and apologised for being rude.

I had some other enquiries to carry out and some CCTV collections too. Luckily I was out on the bike so I also got to enjoy the gorgeous weather! (Another plus point of being a PCSO!).

I’ve also been out on general bike patrol as well. It still amazes me how some residents are fascinated by seeing us on bikes. I personally have been a bike officer for the last 9 years, and I can remember it going beyond that when a PC had the idea of using an unclaimed bike for response work. It worked so well that some response officers were put out on bike, and it grew from there.

Wow that’s a lot for you to read! But it reinforces what I say. This job has such variety that you don’t know from one day to the next what you’ll be facing, and it’s enjoyable (and yes it’s also exciting!)

If you want a career as a Police Officer, you should definitely be a PCSO for a couple of years before hand. You’ll benefit from it greatly.

As I start to wind down and prepare for my new role as a PCSO Public Engagement Officer, I can’t help thinking of the things I’ve been involved in over the years;

• having the Prime Minister and Deputy walk past and say “Good Afternoon” to me on Operation Otter,
• driving one of the Superintendent’s around Brighton when the Queen came to visit,
• The warrants, protests and demonstrations I’ve been on.
• Escorting the Pride March through the city and ,most excitingly,
• I’ve been where the action is, and I’ve got stuck in.

That’s all for now, I have to head out for a bit more bike patrol!

I’ll update you how the new job is going soon! Oh and trust me on the support of the community. Treat them right and they will help you in any way they can. Treat them wrong and you’ll soon know.

Wed 28 Mar 3:53PM

Moving On

I’ve been sitting here for the past few minutes trying to think of the best way to share my news with you, but I think that the title probably gives it away!

I recently applied for another post in the Neighbourhood Policing Team working as a Public Engagement Officer. Having got through the paper sift and the competency based interview, where I  also had to give a presentation on how we could improve our engagement with you and the other communities around Brighton & Hove, I’ve just been informed that I’ve been successful and have got the job.

After 9 years I’m sad to be “leaving” an area that I’m extremely passionate about (and that I live in too) but I’m also quite excited about moving to my new role. I’ll still be tweeting and blogging etc but also working more closely with the teams that cover your area. No doubt I’ll be writing more about it when the time comes.

If all goes to plan I’ll be in place at the start of next month, but until that time it’s business as usual - I promise! :-)

Thu 8 Mar 6:05PM

What A Week

Last week was a bit of a hectic week. Not only was it a 6 day stretch (starting with earlies and finishing on lates), there were also a few serious jobs that we were involved in.

The first was the fire at Shoreham Power Station. We had to deal with the road closure into the harbour area at Hove Lagoon.

It wasn’t as simple and straight forward as you may think.

We were on bikes and had to improvise by using the bikes to barrier the road. We then had to source signs and cones from our colleagues at Hove Police Station, plus deal with the stream of emergency service vehicles arriving on “blues”, questions from members of the public about what was going on and utility companies needing access to their premises.

Add into the mix, the work mobile phone ringing constantly, having to update on the radio and receiving updates you can see that it was a bit hectic. Here’s how we ended up.

The best thing about this incident? Despite being 2 hours and 45 minutes late off, my colleague and I helped free up Response officers to answer your 999 calls. If we hadn’t, they would have been stuck doing the closure until the stand down.

Then on our Saturday night late shift, we had to attend a crash on Portland Road where a pedestrian had been hit by a car. Officers were already at the scene but as I was crewed with the Sergeant we attended to help the guys that were there. It was again a case of thinking on our feet - drivers appeared to ignore the signs and cones, more interested in what was going on and causing us a few more issues.

The week was also busy with attending less “high profile”, but equally as important, incidents as well as going to meetings, having training sessions and trying to be as visible as possible around Portslade. By the end of the week I was shattered!

So today, I’ve come back after 4 rest days which have been great. It gave me a chance to catch up with sleep and to catch up with my friends who I don’t get to see due to our shifts colliding. I also volunteered my services helping out at the Hangleton and Knoll Social Media Surgery. I had a great time helping some of the community groups with their social media needs. I helped the Hangleton & Knoll Project set up their Twitter account as well as helping the Hangleton & Knoll Multicultural Womens Group set up a blog (sadly we ran out of time so it’s not fully available yet).

I have a feeling this is going to be a good week, apart from the fact that I came back to find that my shift on Saturday has been changed so I’ve had to cancel my plans for the morning (I was supposed to be on a late shift). That’s something you have to get used to, but it’s still annoying when it happens.

Thu 8 Mar 11:40AM

Catching Up

In case you were wondering why I haven’t blogged recently, its because I’ve just had 3 wonderful weeks annual leave. Why so long? you may ask. Well, I needed to use it up before the end of the year.

In my 3 weeks off I travelled a fair bit. I was in London on a busy Friday night when I stumbled across a cycling memorial on Bishopsgate, in the City of London. The City Police were there on their mountain bikes. I’m extremely jealous of them as they have lots of nice equipment and cycle kit.

I also spent some time with my family near Bridport and then spent a weekend in Bournemouth, where I picked up some ideas for community surgeries.

I returned to work on Thursday and was eased in gently with a training course for the first part of the day. The training focused on Managing Anti-Social Behaviour and Hate Crime, and there was a nice mix of Response PC’s and PCSO’s. We take ASB and Hate Crime very seriously and this training was part of our commitment to reducing them. It was also really nice to have Nick, from the Independent Advisory Group present.

In the afternoon I attended the Portslade Youth Crime Prevention Early Intervention Group. We meet monthly with youth workers and ASB Caseworkers from Brighton & Hove to discuss youths who need intervention work to prevent them from entering the criminal justice system. Lots of work goes on with families and individuals to help them address their behaviour and to better understand the consequences of their actions. This is the first rung of a long ladder which can, if all else fails, end up with Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBO’s).

On Friday, most of my shift was spending time as a scene guard in Hove. You’ll appreciate that I can’t really discuss the circumstances of it as there is an ongoing investigation underway.

This was the scene when we arrived (it’s been adjusted slightly to obscure an unconnected car). What is your first impression?

Now you’ve had a moment to think, I’ll explain what was going on.

Personally, I’m very aware of public perception and that seeing something like this probably increases the fear of crime. One car belonged to the supervising Sergeants, another to the PC’s who’d attended, another to the scene guard that we were going to replace and then our car.

Within minutes of taking that photo, most of the cars had disappeared again.

The nice thing about that scene guard was that one of the residents bought us out a cup of tea. I like it when that happens. It helps break down barriers and presents a great opportunity for engagement and reassurance.

Today, I’ve been at Brighton Police Station giving a short presentation on Public Engagement. I even dug my (now) retro shirt and tie out of the wardrobe. The presentation went well. I think I enjoyed presenting it more than I did writing it!

Mon 27 Feb 1:06PM

Protests & Patrol

The variety of work we do was demonstrated last week by a number of operations and directed patrol I was involved in.

During the week a protest was held outside of and around Hove Town Hall by traders protesting about parking fee rises in the city. Although it was a good natured protest we were still required to make sure there was no significant impact on the local area and to provide a visible presence. I managed to capture some of the noisy protest on video which I’ll post seperately.

Then, towards the end of the week my colleague PCSO Michelle and I worked on a joint operation with the Road Safety Officers from Brighton & Hove City Council by Hove Railway Station.

The aim of the operation known focused on cyclists riding without lights, riding on the pavement or riding without the necessary care and attention. The operation moves to different locations around the City throughout the year and this time round the locations were Hove and Brighton Railway Stations. The weather wasn’t particularly great and it turned out to be a wet evening.

The results collated by the Road Safety Officers were very positive. From a 10 minute sample over 80% of cyclists observed were using lights – sample over 100 combining the sites.  About 30 cyclists were stopped for not having lights by the Police, 4 for riding on the pavement.  The Road Safety Officers distributed approximately 170 items of high visibility gear, along with items for motorcyclists and blindspot mirrors for drivers. They also had lots of conversations around road safety and safer cycling.

The rest of the week I was out on patrol around the South Portslade area, dealing with incidents ranging from welfare checks to thefts from vehicles and shed/garage breaks.

A number of the thefts from vehicles involved SatNav’s being stolen from vehicles, having been left on display. Our advice is: if you have a SatNav make sure you remove it from the windscreen when you are getting out of your car and take it with you. Simple things like a windscreen mount or charger cable being left on display appeal to the would be car criminal and are give away signs that you have such a device. One of the incidents I dealt with had the SatNav still on display on the windscreen.

Wed 1 Feb 3:26PM

Major Incident Training

This afternoon, I’ve been the first on scene at a coach crash with multiple casualties and fatalities and a fire at an illegal rave where people were trapped, there were again multiple casualties and fatalities.

They were of course all computer based scenarios as part of my Initial Responders Major Incident training (or Emergency Procedures at Major Incidents: Initial Responders to give it it’s full title).

You may think that the scenarios used were a little far fetched but only last week I was at a fire call in Hove, together with the South East Coast Ambulance Service, and the East Sussex Fire & Rescue crews from Hove and Preston Circus so you never can tell what’s around the corner.

My crew buddy PCSO James and I were some of the first officers on the scene and we remained there until around 2.30am. It wasn’t a particularly nice incident but it was a good reminder of how all the emergency services work together. The firefighters were doing their bit, we preserved the scene and controlled access as well as conducting house to house enquiries and the Paramedics assisted with treating people affected by smoke inhalation.

Right now, I’m just finishing off the bits from today. They weren’t as exciting as the job last week but they’re equally as, if not more, important.

Sun 22 Jan 4:52PM

Ups and Downs

…..or in this particular case, downs and ups.

Last week I dealt with a particularly sad case of an elderly male who had received phone calls from a male pretending to be from his bank. The caller asked for a sum of money in relation to fraudulent activity on the male’s account, saying that it would finance the investigation. A few days later they rang again asking for more, and then rang again asking for yet more money.

The man I went to visit was really upset and has very little to live on. You may have read on Twitter (if you’re a follower) or Facebook (if you subscribe to my updates) about this job, and how sad I felt afterwards. It was one of those jobs that made me feel really angry and put me in a mood for most of the evening.

One good thing is that having mentioned it on Twitter, people immediately replied offering food and things to help my victim out. I’d like to say thank you to those that have helped - I’m sure the victim will appreciate it and it’ll help restore his faith in people.

On the up side - my beat partner PCSO Emma, attended the Gateway Project of Off The Fence on Friday and presented staff with a cheque for £200.

Off The Fence Trust is a Brighton based registered charity that works in the areas of street homelessness, women facing times of crisis and schools and youth. You can read more about the work they do on their website.

Sun 15 Jan 9:13AM

Portslade Local Action Team

In my last blog post, I mentioned that this year I will have completed 13 years with Sussex Police. Today is the “official” anniversary of my first day. In March I will have also been a PCSO for 9 years. It’s frightening how quickly that time has gone!

On Monday, I went to the Portslade Local Action Team meeting at the Village Centre in Portslade. Even though I hadn’t worked that area for some years, it was great to be recognised by some of the residents (who I really consider to be friends rather than residents). It was also the Annual General Meeting and there were some changes to the Committee. It’s really motivating to work alongside a group of dedicated people who are equally as passionate about Portslade as I am.

The Local Action Team is a group of community champions, who identify crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour problems in their neighbourhood. They also work with agencies such as the Police and Council to resolve the problem.

The meeting is open to anybody who is a resident of Portslade. If you’d like to come along and get involved, please feel free to send me an email. My address is nick.packham@sussex.pnn.police.uk

The meeting also decides on the local priorities for the local Policing Team. At this months meeting, no new priorities were decided so we will be continuing with the previous ones:

Cycling on the pavements around North and South Portslade and,

Parking on pavements around North and South Portslade.

If you think there’s a burning issue that we should have as a community priority then the LAT is your opportunity to bring it to the meetings attention, and if agreed, have your say in how it should be tackled.

In relation to our current priorities, we’ll be issuing Fixed Penalty Notices to vehicles causing an obstruction by parking on the pavement and to cyclists stopped for riding on the pavements.

Wed 11 Jan 11:42AM

13 Years This Year

Firstly I’d like to wish you a Happy New Year and all the best for 2012. I don’t know about you but I think it came and went a bit too quickly!

Today’s my first day back after having 4 rest days. My last shift was New Year’s Eve, which I have to say was quite an eerie shift to work - the road’s were empty, the streets went from being busy, to deserted and back to busy again. Luckily I managed to get off on time this year, in previous years I’ve ended up working until at least 3am. It was a busy night for our response teams though - they had 80 emergency calls (Grade 1’s) between 11pm and 7am.

This year I will have worked for Sussex Police for 13 years. I started back in 1999 as a young and naïve twenty something, when the Force was going through big changes and was becoming “Smaller, Better, Different” (the catchphrase used by the Chief Constable back then). Now, 13 years later I’m not that young and naïve person anymore. In fact apart from being older now, I’m probably slightly more cynical as well!

In my time with Sussex Police I’ve worked all over Sussex, starting with my training in Lewes, then my first Controller posting at Bognor Regis Police Station, dealing with non emergency calls and the radio for the former “West Division” When that control room closed, I transferred to Brighton where I then started dealing with the 999 emergency calls and radio for Brighton, Hove & Shoreham and East Sussex, as well as the countywide radio “KB”.

In 2003 I become one of the first 22 Community Support Officer’s in Sussex, a role that the Government of the time introduced as part of the Police Reform Act. I started in Eastbourne before transferring to Hove, where I have been for the past 9 years.

My first 13 years hasn’t been an easy ride by any means but the experience I’ve gained is phenomenal. I still maintain that this is one of the best jobs in the world. As Police Officers and PCSO’s, we are privileged to be able to work in your community and, with your help and that of our partner agencies, resolve the issues you face. “The Job” has it’s ups and downs and it can be very frustrating at times, but I wouldn’t swap it for the world.

Thu 5 Jan 12:11PM

Goodbye 2011 Hello 2012

First of all, I hope you had a nice and peaceful Christmas. I was lucky enough to be off over Christmas and Boxing day, my last shift was the 23rd December.

On Christmas Eve I went to Church with my family and caught up with some old friends from the Portslade area. Spookily enough my “family Church” is in South Portslade, so I guess I could say I was there in a semi official role too.

On Christmas Day, I spent time with my family first of all in Hove, and then with my extended family in Shoreham.

I’m now back at work and preparing for New Year’s Eve. I’m working it again this year and wondering what’s in store for us.

Looking back, it’s been a funny old year. I started the year working on the Community Intervention Team at John Street Police Station, I then returned to Hove and took on the role of the Seafront Officer for Hove Seafront. I’ve then moved to the South Portslade beat.

We still don’t know what’s happening with regards to the closure of Hove Police Station. Over the last year a number of the departments have moved out and gone to Brighton. Slowly the offices that we used to pop into have been emptied, the staff have moved elsewhere and those areas locked.

On a personal note, I’m sad that Holland Road is to close. I have personal connection with the station and a lot of family history here - it’s where my parents met, my Dad worked here for his 30 years service in the Police and in the early days, he also lived here for a while too.

This year I also spent some time working with the Major Crime Branch at Sussex House on Operation Dublin, a serious sexual assault that occurred in Hove. Along with my colleague Neil from the Community Intervention Team I was involved in reviewing the CCTV footage obtained as part of the enquiry. The footage we found then appeared on the BBC Crimewatch as well as in the media and at Court.

Over the past year I’ve had my share of doom and gloom - scene guarding at murder scenes, fires, serious assaults and missing person enquiries. On the bright side though, I’ve met some truly wonderful people - residents who attend Local Action Team meetings, new Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators and residents who go out of their way to help their community to be a better place.

The highlight of this year by far has to be the launch of Sussex Police People. Broadcasting live video to over 900 people from George Street in Hove was a unique and exciting moment. The feedback I recieved from those watching was really encouraging. If you were one of those 900 viewers, thank you for joining in and for your support. Let’s see if we can do it again in 2012 :)

I’ll try and do a little something on New Years Eve (depending on what’s going on) but if I don’t get the chance let me finish by wishing you a happy and safe New Year’s Eve and all the best for 2012. Where-ever we end up working from, we’ll still be here doing what we do best, and I look forward to continuing to serve you over the coming months.

Thu 29 Dec 9:46PM

New PCSO Powers

You may have seen on my Twitter yesterday that I said I’d been to Police HQ in Lewes for PCSO Powers training and that the Chief Constable had authorised some new powers for us.

The designated powers, which have been granted in addition to those already in place, cover wide range of issues that we regularly come across.

These powers are:

1. Power to detain.

2. Power to disperse groups and remove persons under 16 to their place of residence.

3. Power to search for alcohol and tobacco.

4. Power to issue Fixed Penalty Notice for dog fouling on designated land.

5. Power to issue Penalty Notices for Disorder for:

Drunk on a highway.

Drunk and disorderly behaviour.

Drinking in a designated public area.

Throwing fireworks.

Possession by a person under 18 of an adult firework.

Wasting police time, giving a false report.

So, we’re in for some interesting times ahead. It doesn’t mean that now we have these that we’re going to be out using them every day, but they are another string to our bows.

Personally, I’ll still be doing things the way that I always have - by talking to people, reasoning with them and giving them words of advice/telling off where appropriate. It does mean, however, that if the person doesn’t take heed of what they’ve been told, there’s an additional way of dealing with them.

Thu 22 Dec 9:21AM

On The (Chilly) Beat

It seems like it’s been a while since my last blog post. In fact I think it’s been just over a week, but it still seems a long time ago!

As well has having my regular days off, I’ve had an extra 1 or 2 on top just so that I can get on top of the Christmas present buying. I’m hopeless at shopping and I always leave it to the last minute.

This week whilst in town, it struck me how many people I recognised out of work. I’m normally out looking for these people in work and can never seem to find them. So there I was, wandering around the shops in Western Road, spotting those very people. I guess it’s that work life versus personal life crossover. Something you get used to after a while.

On a similar note, it’s also been quite surprising how many waves I’ve had whilst being on patrol, from people I’ve previously met and got to know from working the area.

Whilst on my day’s off, I’ve also been working on another community engagement idea that I’ve had. I’m not going to day to much as it’s still an idea, but if it works it will be quite exciting!

Out “on the beat” it’s been quite busy. I’ve already started getting back into the swing of dealing with neighbour disputes. They are something that are, unfortunately, now quite common. There are several ways of dealing with them, and normally the best route is through mediation. Sadly though, sometimes they are beyond mediation and they become Police matters.

I’ve also been out to see some victims of car crime. They have, for one reason or another, forgotten to lock their cars or left them insecure only to find in the morning that they’ve had property stolen. Our advice is simple, make sure you lock your vehicle and make sure it’s secure. Remove all valuables - Sat Nav’s, iPods, Cameras etc as well as any cash. All of these are attractive targets for the would be thief.

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you’ll see that I’ve been out and about around South Portslade which is my new beat. (I say “new”, I’ve worked there before many years ago so it’s not new “new”!). I’ve been around Station Road, and across the town border on Boundary Road. Today, during my patrol, I’ve been dealing with motorists parked on the zig zag lines of the crossing and gave one motorist a fixed penalty notice.

As far as Christmas goes, I’m quite lucky this year - I’ve got 4 lovely days off to spend with my family and friends. The downside is that it means I’ve got to work New Year’s Eve (again!) - I’ve only had 2 New Years Eve’s off in the 8 years I’ve worked in Neighbourhood Policing.

In case I don’t get to update before, I’d like to wish you all a very happy Christmas (if you celebrate it). Thank you for your interest in the work that we are doing in your community and for your continued support.

Mon 19 Dec 2:13PM

Exciting News

A few weeks ago, after my shift had ended, I went to the farewell gathering for David, the Community Development Worker for the Portland Road and Clarendon area. I had worked closely with David during my time as PCSO for the Westbourne Ward in Hove and we’d built up a good working relationship. During the evening, David said to me “never give up on working with the community as that is where your heart is and you’re good at it”.

I hadn’t really thought about it before but the more I did, the more I knew he was right. I am very passionate about what I do and the community in which I do it. I am very much a community PCSO. I like attending the Local Action Team meetings and Community Forums, I like getting involved with community groups and supporting those who strive to make a difference to the area that they live in.

Today when I went into work I was invited into my Inspector’s office to have a chat with him. The upshot of the chat was that with immediate effect I was to move to the South Portslade beat.

Portslade was where I learnt the “tools of my trade” and I accepted without hesitation. I’m very excited to be back in a community that I know well and I look forward to updating you on the work that’s going on.

Wed 7 Dec 7:56PM

Disability Liaison Officer Training

Yesterday I went to Uckfield for the first meeting/training day for our Disability Liaison Officers. I’m one of them together with colleagues from Brighton & Hove Division and the wider Force.

Some of the topics covered were

    What is a Disability Liaison Officer
    Over coming the barriers to engagement with disabled people
    Understanding the social model of disability so those barriers can be removed
    Hate crime from a victims perspective

Fri 2 Dec 8:31AM