Kent Police have launched a Citzens Academy in order to share information about the range of duties they carry out and the organisation they interact with and to promote a better understanding of the needs of the communities they serve.
As one of the Neighbourhood Watch Coordinators, I was invited to and atttended
Kent Police College last Autumn to learn about this new initiative, the purpose of which is to provide free training to the public about Kent Police, its working practices, why they make certain decisions and how they fit into the criminal justice framework. It was also set up to enable the police interact better with communities in which it serves. In order to achieve this, an interactive website has been set up to enable volunteers like myself to get more engaged and gain a better understanding of this very complex service.
The course covers 10 modules, the first two of which I have completed, they are:
Module 1 Introduction Kent Police and a high-level overview of how the police work, including allocation of resources
Module 2 How is a crime investigated? What process do police officers go through from the reporting of a crime to its detection?
Module 3 An opportunity to visit the FCR (Force Control Room)
Module 4 Introduces Tactical Operations (Tac Ops) - an 'umbrella' for all the supporting groups that provide specialist tactics, skills and equipment to support the policing of the county.
Module 5 covers Domestic Abuse and Child Sexual Exploitation.
Module 6 offers an opportunity to visit a police custody suite
Module 7 introduces the various forensic evidence-gathering methods used. Also to learn more about various crime prevention methods, including Country Eye/Neighbourhood Watch.
Module 8 introduces the more specialist roles and skills in Kent Police:
- Firearms
- Driver training and skid pan demonstration
- Police dogs
Module 9 covers Special Branch and Major Crime/Serious Crime. Learn the terrorist threat, international and cross-border crime and how they are being fought
Module 10 covers Partnerships & Volunteering. Learn about some of the many volunteering strands within Kent Police and the amazing work they do, including:
- Special Constabulary
- Police Volunteers
- SE 4x4
- KSAR
- IAG
- Police Cadet Leaders
- Community Police Volunteers
In addition, there are a number of on-line courses such as Rural Crime, Fraud, Protecting your identity etc – all of which I hope will enhance the impact of our Neighbourhood Watch pages.
The audience was quite diverse ranging from serving police officers, to volunteer special constables to Neighbourhood Watch and Speed Watch volunteers as well as other external agencies that the police such as NHS, Fire & Rescue
A poster from the course proudly stated:
Kent Police wouldn't be able to provide the service it does to the people of Kent without the help of hundreds of volunteers. From the 268 volunteer police officers in the Special Constabulary to the 101 CPV volunteers, 348 cadets to 160 general volunteers, every single one is a vital component in keeping Kent safe.
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