Policing South Worcestershire
With Chief Superintendent Kevin Purcell, our long-term columnist in his role as Policing Commander for South Worcestershire. Following promotion, he is now responsible for the West Mercia patch of Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. Congratulations on your promotion. What experience will you be drawing on in your new role? I’ve been in policing for 30 years so have had loads of experience on the ground. I’ve taken policing command for three local areas, been a senior investigating officer for serious and organised crime and murders, been a firearms commander and worked alongside many partners in the community. I’m not leaving South Worcestershire because it’s where I live, and I still have loads of projects based at our Worcester HQ; I like to think I’m just commuting a bit further. What made you become a police officer? It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, even as a small boy. It’s much more that a job to me - If I’m not working, I’m active on social media or attending evening meetings, trying to offer reassurance to the public and make sure we’re doing the best job we can. I never imagined I’d reach the rank I’m at now but an opportunity came along as a result of the change to the West Mercia policing model and I’m proud to have been successful. Tell us about the new model. Our vision remains the same - to protect people from harm, and be
as efficient and effective as we can be, right now and for the future, especially when dealing with the most vulnerable members of our communities. What changes have been made? The new model went live on 8th April 2018, after extensive research and crime data analysis. It’s designed to ensure local police officers are available and visible on our streets, making it easier for people to contact us when they need our help, and ensuring that the public receive the right support as quickly as possible increasing their confidence in us. How will this affect day to day policing? The main changes include adapting shift patterns so that we have more officers on duty when the public needs them most. We’re also focusing on more collaborative working with our partners to solve problems in communities in a joined up way; improving police officer visibility; maximising the benefits of new technologies; and addressing changing demands. What will this mean for us? . We’ll have more officers on duty when the public needs them most, and we’ll be providing a more focussed and efficient
Finalist for the International ConnectedCOPS Awards for work on social media #TopCop
service. Increasing the accessibility of our officers will allow us to place increased emphasis on working with our communities, listening to their needs and responding to them. Do the changes mean a reduction in police officers? There are no reductions in our Safer Neighbourhood Teams or our Community Support Officers but to protect and invest in our front line, we’ve made some changes at managerial level. We’ve also made significant investments in technology such as mobile data devices, which help to keep our workforce visible and present in their communities. What makes policing effective in a rural community? Visibility, pro-active work, partnership and good communication. It’s important to make sure that residents are doing everything they can to help themselves. We could still be more effective with Neighbourhood Watch so that we have a more joined up approach, especially now social media enables us to so quickly highlight issues. If everyone could be more vigilant and 59