Norfolk Constabulary add to their crime prevention capabilities

The event was endorsed by the new Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Norfolk and the Assistant Chief Constable for Norfolk Constabulary, and they were joined in opening remarks by Corrienne Peasgood, OBE, Principal of Easton College.

The National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) Rural Vehicle Crime Intelligence Officer and Secured by Design member company Selectamark gave presentations and practical demonstrations around the assistance that they can give tackling the county’s rural crime issues.

The rural issues event followed on from the local delivery of an accredited Level 3 crime prevention qualification by the Academy, a ProQual approved centre and the established provider of police training with the exclusive link to the Secured by Design initiative, to 25 police officers and staff from Norfolk Constabulary over the past week. The qualification enhances officers’ skills, knowledge and expertise in crime prevention, helping to increase the capacity of local communities to play an effective role in preventing crime and anti-social behaviour.

Assistant Chief Constable of Norfolk Constabulary, Nick Davison said: “We know the impact of rural crime on our communities and the feelings of isolation they can experience, and we’re committed to supporting them and helping them to feel safe by disrupting and preventing crime. Our investment in this specialist training will help to bolster our ability to support our rural communities as well as provide greater bespoke crime prevention and problem-solving advice to both residents, landowners and businesses across the county.”

Giles Orpen-Smellie, Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk, said: “As a rural county, we sadly know only too well the impact of targeted crime on communities, businesses and individuals.

“The response to rural crime and supporting communities is a priority in the county’s existing Police and Crime Plan, and as I move towards the launch of my consultation for a new plan for the next three years, I intend that rural crime will continue to feature highly.

“I remain committed to supporting our rural communities and I am delighted that this training continues to build on existing skills and equip officers with the latest tools and techniques.”

Corrienne Peasgood, OBE, Principal, Easton College, said: “We are delighted to have hosted this event today, as rural crime prevention is vital to all our employer partners, students, staff, and other stakeholders who depend on a thriving rural economy. We are proud to be supporting Norfolk Constabulary’s training in other important ways too, such as through our new Professional Policing degree and Access to Higher Education: Criminal Justice and Policing course.”

Guy Ferguson, CEO of Police Crime Prevention Initiatives, said: ““I’m delighted that our Academy have delivered this qualification which will assist officers in their daily work making people and their property safer. This fits with our mission of being a major catalyst for crime prevention. I am especially delighted that the focus of much of this training has been around Rural Crime, as this has traditionally been neglected.

“Crime Prevention has never been more important, especially when the Police Service is working so hard under increasing pressure. On behalf of the Police Service we continue to work in partnership with industry to develop innovative solutions that will result in safer communities.”

Detective Chief Inspector Brett Mallon, NaVCIS, said: “This crime prevention academy work is very important; rural crime is committed by offenders with specific skills and knowledge and so it’s only right to counter this with targeted training and education given to the local community and officers.

“I am proud that NaVCIS plays a part in making life harder for these criminals, as our rural communities have enough daily challenges without losing essential tools and machinery to thieves. The expertise of our rural crime officer DC Piggott is outstanding and working together we can make it tougher for criminals to move and operate in our rural communities”.

Nick Roach, Police Liaison for Selectamark, said “We have a long history of working with Norfolk Constabulary so it was great to bring officers up to speed on the products we have available for use in a rural environment, to both prevent and detect crime and in some cases provide conclusive evidence to secure convictions.

“I was especially excited to demonstrate the fact that we have a search dog who can detect Selectamark products – we are the only forensics company in the world that have this capability and it makes the search for marked items much easier. SelectaDNA is being used all over the country to reduce instances of acquisitive crime and we are positive it will have the same impact on Norfolk’s rural communities.”