Dedicated neighbourhood police training to be rolled out nationwide

The Neighbourhood Policing Pathway is currently being piloted in 11 forces and covers issues specific to the role of being a neighbourhood police officer or police community support officer (PCSO).

It will help officers build on the core skills they need to tackle the issues communities face every day. This includes helping officers build relationships across local communities and give them the skills and confidence they need to solve issues that affect local residents.

In a speech delivered at the Police Superintendents’ Conference on Tuesday (September 10), Dame Diana said: “Too many town centres and high streets across the country have been gripped by an epidemic of anti-social behaviour, theft and shoplifting which is corroding our communities and cannot be allowed to continue.

“There are thousands of incredible police officers and support staff doing an admirable job. But we have to face the reality that there are still too many victims of anti-social behaviour who feel that when they call the police, no one listens and no one comes.

“Our neighbourhoods and police forces have suffered enough after a decade of decline, and this government will help restore neighbourhood policing, with skilled, resilient and dedicated local cops.

“Every community deserves local officers who understand what is needed to keep them safe, and with this new training and our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, we will deliver the change our towns and villages are desperate for.”

The College of Policing’s Neighbourhood Policing Pathway focuses on problem solving the issues that affect local residents, such as drug dealing or drug use in public places, nuisance behaviour on the streets which causes harassment and street drinking. It will also cover community engagement, supporting officers to build relationships that help to gather intelligence, cut crime and develop plans to address local issues.

There is also specific training for those who lead neighbourhood teams.

The most recent crime figures showed that 35 per cent of people have experienced or witnessed anti-social behaviour in their local community in the past year alongside a 30 per cent annual rise in shoplifting, which remains at a record high.

Chief Constable Sir Andy Marsh, chief executive officer at the College of Policing, said: “Dedicated training for neighbourhood officers by the College of Policing will help transform the service policing provides to local communities and help deliver trusted and effective policing that cuts crime and keeps people safe.

“This programme is based on years of evidence of what works and I’m confident it will make a real difference.

“This is a welcome investment by the Government and the College of Policing, that will support dedicated and hardworking officers and staff to protect their communities, cut crime and rebuild trust and confidence.

“Good neighbourhood policing, which, at its core is about engaging with local people on local issues, is a vital part of any police force, if they are to be effective and help people feel safe.”

The college says most of the training will take place in person with other work done on patrol and some online learning. Those who pass the course will be recognised as specialists within policing and be on par with colleagues in other areas of policing like investigations.

“Widespread evidence tells us that, when effectively delivered, community-based neighbourhood policing improves satisfaction and confidence in the police,” the college said.

First launched in June, the training has been piloted in 11 forces, including Northumbria, North Wales, Derbyshire and the Metropolitan Police Service. When fully rolled out, the training programme will be available to police forces across the country to enrol any neighbourhood officer or PCSO on.

The pilots are expected to finish at the end of March 2025, after which the training programme will be refined before being expanded across the country.

Association of Police and Crime Commissioners joint leads on local policing, Chris Nelson and Matt Storey, said: “Neighbourhood policing is the bedrock of policing in this country, so we welcome the government’s focus on delivering more and better trained police officers and PCSOs, starting with this week’s announcement by the policing minister of the nationwide rollout of the Neighbourhood Policing Pathway.

“This new training programme, developed by the College of Policing, is the first step in our ambition to ensure world-class, accredited neighbourhood officers are in every community. Embedded at the heart of our communities, they are key to rebuilding trust and respect between the public and police which are so fundamental to our policing by consent model.

“Through our close links with our communities, police and crime commissioners (PCCs) understand how important visible local policing is to people who want to see action to tackle those crimes – anti-social behaviour, street theft, shoplifting – that make them feel unsafe and impact areas so negatively. We will be working closely with PCCs in the current pilot areas to understand the impact of this training on these crime types prior to the national rollout.

“The value of neighbourhood policing cannot be underestimated, both locally and in informing the policing response to national and transnational strategic policing priorities such as organised crime.

“PCCs have been instrumental in recruiting officers through the recent national uplift programme. We want to see forces deliver the level of service the public rightly expects.

“We hope the announcement of a nationwide rollout of specialist training for neighbourhood policing teams to improve standards and consistency across forces, and build on officers’ skills in understanding and dealing effectively with issues in their communities, will provide the public with the service they want and deserve.”