Policing and adults category shortlist 2022

City Centre Welfare and Support, Police Service of Northern Ireland

PSNI City Centre Police in Derry work in partnership with The City Centre Manager, Housing Associations, Community Safety Wardens, The Retail Community, Foyle Haven (DePaul), The Migrants Forum, local charities and businesses. They work to address the influx of foreign nationals arriving to the city, presenting as homeless and setting up on the busy streets to professionally beg. Instead of taking a solely criminal justice approach, the begging incidents are addressed by police diversionary measures, and people in need of shelter, food and housing are provided with the help they need by local police and partners. This project ensures diversions are exhausted and support measures are put in place at every opportunity to reduce criminal behaviour. 

Website: www.psni.police.uk
Twitter: @PoliceServiceNI  

Offender Rehabilitation Programme, West Midlands Police/Office of the
Police Crime Commissioner

The frequency and severity of violent incidents towards retail staff is increasing significantly. A Co-op commissioned report by Dr Emmeline Taylor (City University of London), notes “there is a strong relationship between substance misuse, shop theft and the use of violence and aggression by drug-affected offenders who are desperate not to be detained. It has been estimated that 70% of shop theft is committed by frequent users of Class A drugs”.

In Birmingham, the OPCC, Police and a number of retailers have come together to address this issue. They’ve co-funded an approach to place prolific offenders into recovery. This has involved four police officers taking on the role of Offender to Rehab Facilitators. During the 12-month pilot,136 people were referred to the programme, of which 27 entered rehab, resulting in; roughly £155,637 was not spent on drugs and alcohol, and the prevention of an approximate total of £466,928 worth of stolen goods. 

This approach aims to show that we can reduce crime, save money and save lives if we take a kinder and supportive approach to engaging with people who need help to break the cycle. 

Watch 5 News’ film ‘Breaking Britain’s Drug Cycle: How one police force is tackling drug addiction in the West Midlands’ below, and hear insights from residents of the rehab facility and support workers here. 

Website: https://www.westmidlands-pcc.gov.uk/  
Twitter: @WestMidsPCC 
Email: [email protected]

Cumbria Pathways, Remedi

Pathways was a concept first developed between Cumbria police and Cumbria Police and Crime Commissioners to provide support for offenders subjected to an out of court disposal. The overall aim is to halt any escalation through the criminal justice system, providing dedicated bespoke support to work with the person to overcome the challenges they face, and that are leading to their offending behaviour.  

Remedi were commissioned in 2021 to take on this project, recruiting and supporting a team of Pathways Support Workers who take a needs-led approach to working with individuals finding out what the main drivers are for their offending behaviour and addressing these through mentoring support or signposting to commissioned services. The support succeeds through the relationships that are built with the person, getting them to take accountability and ownership for their own changes. 

Website: www.remediuk.org
Twitter: @RemediRj
Email: [email protected] 

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