7 September 2021
The College of Policing defines Community Engagement as ‘the process of enabling citizens and communities to participate in policing at their chosen level. This ranges from providing information and assurance, to empowering them to identify and implement solutions to local problems and influence strategic priorities and decisions.
- ‘Community engagement may be one-off or repeated over a long period of time. It can be formal or informal, focused on a specific issue or incident, a neighbourhood, on service delivery, or more broadly, on policing strategy.’
- Recognised essential elements of Community Engagement include:
- Officers, staff and volunteers being responsible for and having a targeted visible presence in their relevant neighbourhoods or districts
- A clearly defined and transparent purpose for engagement activities
- Regular formal and informal contact with communities
- Working with partners (e.g. by identifying communities and sharing arrangements for engagement)
- Making available information about local crime and policing issues to communities
- Engagement that is tailored to the needs and preferences of different communities
- Using engagement to identify local priorities and inform problem-solving
- Officers, staff and volunteers providing feedback and being accountable to communities
- Officers, staff and volunteers supporting communities, where appropriate, to be more active in the policing of their local areas.
Community engagement in neighbourhoods should provide an ongoing two-way dialogue between the police and the public and enable the police to develop a better understanding of communities and their needs, risks and threats.
St Helena Police have three teams on the Island and each team has a defined area of responsibility for engaging with the community:
- Team 1 has responsibility for Blue Hill, St Pauls and Half Tree Hollow areas
- Team 2 has responsibility for Longwood, Levelwood and Sandy Bay areas
- Team 3 has responsibility for Alarm Forest, The Briars, Ruperts and Jamestown areas.
Some examples of how St Helena Police teams have engaged with the community are through:
- Door-to-door visits with residents in different areas
- Community surgeries
- Police Station Open Days to encourage recruitment and visitors
- Working with our Partnership agencies – Fire Service, Sea Rescue, Her Majesty’s Prison, St Helena Government’s Housing team, Health Service Directorate, Social Care and other SHG Directorates, Attorney General’s Chambers, Outlets and Bar owners.
- Engaging in events taking place on St Helena.
St Helena Police will continue their community engagement activities to ensure St Helena is a safe place to live and work.
SHG
7 September 2021