On Patrol with Christchurch Police
- 31st October 2005
Special Report by the Xchurch.co.uk Team (Please note this article has been checked by Christchurch Police but is presented here entirely unedited and uncensored by them, this is my honest account of the night)
I am a web designer, I spend my days sat at a computer playing around with graphics and writing code, like most people I never really considered what the Police actually do, that was until I was invited to find out.
I help to run a community forum for Dorset, SaxonSquare.com, one section of which is specifically for the Highcliffe-On-Sea website. In this section a growing argument arose regarding the effectiveness of the policing in Highcliffe, particularly regarding the rising problem of gangs of youths, drinking and causing trouble around the village. The accusations ranged from vandalism of property to throwing bottles at, and insulting, passing dog walkers. To aid in the discussion I contacted Christchurch Police and requested a statement on the matter. To be completely honest I didn't expect a reply.
After a few days Inspector Andy Earley, the Section Commander at Christchurch Police Station, wrote to me and attempted to answer some of the questions raised in the forum and explained some of the difficulties and successes in policing the area, an excerpt shows some interesting facts about the Borough:
"Christchurch Section of Dorset Police covers the entire borough of Christchurch which is one of the most densely populated towns in the South West of England. It has a population of nearly 45000 people and is swollen further by an average of 1 million visitors anually. Christchurch is also home to Bournemouth International Airport which has passenger numbers which are set to break through the 1 million mark this year.
I have available to me to Police the area, 6 Sergeants, 32 Constables and 5 Police Community Support Officers (PCSO's) of these I have currently 8 Constables and 1 PCSO unavailable for operational duties due to being abstracted for other duties, e.g. training probationary constables, sickness and recuperative duties following injury. This leaves me 6 Sergeants, 24 Constables and 4 PCSO's. Take into account the fact that there are 5 shifts that they are divided between without considering annual leave, courses court appearances etc and you will quickly realise that the thin blue line is exactly that.
Over the last 12 months (1 October 2004-30 September 2005) Christchurch Police have responded to 11636 Incidents and Recorded 3127 Crimes. They have arrested 1160 people and detected 769 crimes.
The area is divided into 11 Beat areas which correspond to the local council wards. As the comments made on the website refer to Highcliffe I have looked closer into the 3 wards that are associated with Highcliffe, these being Highcliffe, West Highcliffe and North Highcliffe and Walkford. Over the same 12 month period, the 3 wards put together had a total incident count of 1744 which equates to 14% of the total for Christchurch and 466 Crimes recorded which equates to 15% of the total."
The letter also invited me to accompany an officer out on patrol on a Friday night and gain a greater understanding of how the Police deal with different situations and get a chance to have a one to one chat with one of the officers, PC Chris Johnson. I readily accepted.
The reaction to my news was mixed, it was certainly an interesting variety of opinions of the Police, most people were surprised I'd even do it and worried about my safety, others just said 'how fun' and were excited for me. I honestly don't know how I felt about it, a mix of both I guess. I kept having this thought that 50 years ago this would have been a cool thing to do, that when people respected the Police and what they stood for then walking around looking like a Police Officer would be an interesting and enjoyable experience, but now, do people have any respect for the law?
My night was very different to how I expected, I'm not sure what I expected actually, but anyway, I was kitted out with a very heavy stab vest and a florescent jacket and headed out with PC Johnson.
During the course of the night we patrolled around Christchurch, Somerford, Burton and Highcliffe and responded to calls as they came in. I can't go into specifics as these are people's lives and they have an expectation of privacy.
The night included a couple of calls regarding youths, none in Highcliffe, and this was the biggest surprise for me. It didn't matter if it was a drunken kid or a large group of agitated ones, they responded and respected the Police Officers dealing with them, even when it was one officer calming down and controlling a large group of them they did as they were told. This surprised me greatly, just walking around the town we all see these kids and how they behave and it made such a change to see them show some respect for once. Also credit should be given to the officers who deal with them as it is in the handling that this kind of relationship can be maintained.
After one incident I took the opportunity to ask some of the forum member's questions regarding youths drinking and hanging around in large groups, I wanted to know how they were dealt with normally. Groups of kids are usually moved on if causing trouble, if they are underage and drinking then their alcohol is confiscated and either destroyed or donated to the Macmillan Unit of Christchurch Hospital. Effort is made to establish where alcohol is bought and action is taken if they discover a shop selling alcohol to underage individuals.
One call we responded to received a very different reaction from me and my escort, the call was simply to respond to a member of the public's worries, she was home alone and concerned about a burglary of a neighbours house earlier in the day. The officer reassured her and we left, I think he believed that looked like they don't do much, I on the other hand was really pleased, it shows they do, how many people live in a town where their Police force will do that. Obviously there are times when these types of calls and even ones more serious are delayed due to more vital jobs but it shows they do care a great deal.
I think this all showed me that the Police's job isn't just to solve crimes and actively protect us it is also to make sure we perceive that protection, people are comforted when they see the Police about. During the night we happened to drive through the area where my Grandmother lives and when I mentioned this to her she seemed happy that they do drive through occasionally and are on the lookout.
As for Highcliffe we didn't see any trouble there all night, in fact I didn't see a single youth out on the streets in the village until I drove home and saw a group of them by the golf course, typical I suppose.
Everybody's perception of the Police is different, I went into this with a fairly positive view, I have only personally needed them once in recent years and the response was quick, helpful and very effective, other people may not feel the same. I can tell you from what I saw they do work hard and do do an effective job. Remember if you don't believe this, or want to see for yourself then why not help out, Christchurch is looking for more Specials, you could make a difference.
I thoroughly enjoyed my night out on patrol, it was very interesting and enlightening, I would like to thank Inspector Earley for the invitation and also extend a big thank you to PC Chris Johnson who took me out that night.