Community put questions to senior police officers at public forum

Members of the public last night had an opportunity to question senior police officers on a range of topics from the levels of community engagement by officers across Gloucestershire to racism in the Constabulary at the latest Community Engagement Forum.

The forum, which was jointly hosted by the independent Community Legitimacy Panel (CLP) and Gloucestershire Police, saw dozens of people from across the county come together at the Church of God of Prophecy in Gloucester.

The event provided members of the public with the opportunity to put questions directly to Temporary Chief Constable Maggie Blyth, as well as other senior members of the Constabulary and outgoing CLP Chair Teddy Burton, in a formal question and answer session before later coming together to eat a Caribbean buffet.

The first question put to the panel related to the conduct of some armed officers when responding to incidents, with the questioner saying in their experience armed officers don’t show the same level of respect to residents as members of the Neighbourhood Policing Team do.

In response, T/CC Blyth spoke about how in policing, the term ‘every contact leaves a trace’ is used regularly throughout the service, recognising that all officers have a duty to act with respect and courtesy at all times while Superintendent Mark Chicken, local policing commander for Gloucester and the Forest of Dean, acknowledged that neighbourhood officers have sometimes had to work to maintain the relationships with members of the public following an incident. Both officers pledged to continue to work hard to ensure all officers and staff carry out their duties with respect, empathy and professionalism.

A question submitted online to the panel focused on victims of hate crime not having confidence they would be taken seriously. T/CC Blyth told audience members the service recognised people sometimes find it difficult to report crimes for a variety of reasons and that she wanted to reassure any victim of hate crime, including racially motivated crimes, they would be taken seriously. She added the local neighbourhood officers also took intelligence reports seriously – so in cases where there may not be sufficient evidence to prosecute, officers would still look to build up any picture of repeat offending.

Several of those in attendance shared their personal experiences with the panel. Some gave praise to the work of the Gloucester Neighbourhood Policing Team, singling out Inspector Ash Gardner as someone who has worked tirelessly to build strong relationships with all communities. Others raised concerns about PCSOs no longer being involved with a children’s football team; the response to a burglary – with four weeks having passed without any significant contact; and how officers had failed to recognise vulnerable adults.

The senior police officers on the panel collectively provided reassurance that any cases raised during the evening would be looked into to ensure they were appropriately followed up, as would the need for additional training for officers to improve their awareness specifically relating to engaging with neurodivergent people.

A question was also asked about the impact the Constabulary’s current financial challenges might have on local policing services.

In response, Assistant Chief Officer Richard Saunders, Director of People and Business Services, said the Constabulary was making good progress at finding the savings required but that it remained a challenging environment. He also spoke about the recent rebalancing of the service’s neighbourhood policing model – highlighting while there are now fewer PCSOs across the county, there are actually more people working in neighbourhood policing as a result of the significant increase in the number of warranted neighbourhood police officers in both rural and urban areas.

One of the last questions of the evening was whether racism existed in Gloucestershire Constabulary. In response, T/CC Blyth acknowledged that it did – saying conversations she’d had with members of the Constabulary’s workforce, with the National Black Police Association and members of the public indicated it did and said while the organisation still has a long way to go, tackling racism remained an absolute priority.

Speaking after the event, T/CC Blyth said: “It’s so important for police services to listen to their communities, take on board any concerns they may have and positively respond with both words and actions to them. If we don’t, we will inevitably have a negative impact on levels of public trust and confidence in our service; in our ability to protect and keep people safe; to investigate any crimes people have had the misfortune of being victims of; and to act with the highest standards of professionalism and integrity.

“I’ve heard loud and clear both the praise for our officers and staff, particularly for our local policing teams, and also the concerns and issues members of our communities have experienced. I hope myself and my colleagues have been able to provide some reassurances to those who attended that we are committed to working together and to improving the services the Constabulary provides.”

Mr Burton added: "We are grateful that, by their participation in this forum, leaders of the Constabulary indicated a recognition of the importance of maintaining legitimacy with the communities they serve.

“I especially thank the many residents of Gloucestershire who participated, both in person and online. But the true test of whether the forum was successful, will be the extent to which senior officers respond to the concerns raised in the discussions.

“A prompt, resolute and proportionate response, coupled with a long term plan for ongoing, meaningful engagement with communities, will signal a commitment beyond words. We look forward to such a response. The CLP remains ready to work collaboratively toward that outcome and the wider aim of greater equity in policing."