College of Policing launches national neighbourhood policing training for frontline leaders
The College of Policing has launched a national training programme for sergeants and inspectors leading neighbourhood policing teams, following trials across eleven forces involving more than 1,000 officers.
Since the programme’s rollout began in June 2025, more than 20,000 officers and police community support officers across all 43 forces have completed early stages of the training, with assessment scores showing an average improvement of 60 per cent.
Participants in the trial reported greater confidence in their roles and a stronger sense that their teams would be more effective as a result. The clearest self-reported gain was among officers who felt better equipped to identify where neighbourhood policing was making a difference — a persistent challenge for a tier of policing that has historically struggled to evidence its impact.
ACC Tom Harding, Director of Operational Standards at the College, said neighbourhood policing was “not just about visible presence” but about “the quality of this presence,” adding that investing in first-line and middle-rank leadership was “one of the most direct ways we can improve policing outcomes for every community.”
The programme forms part of the government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee and its wider police reform agenda.
The outcome data currently reflects participant self-assessment and assessment scores rather than independently measured operational outcomes. The College has not yet published findings on the programme’s impact on crime levels or public confidence.