"Neighbourhood Officers are at the heart of policing" as week of action continues

Greater Manchester Police is conducting a week of intensified Neighbourhood Policing as part of a renewed focus on tackling the crimes that matter most to our communities.

Coinciding with the national Neighbourhood Policing Week of Action, Monday 17th January - Sunday 23th January 2022 will see a range of operations in support of GMP's hard-working Neighbourhood Officers and PCSOs.

Activities will include:
•    Acting on community intelligence to target crimes and offenders of the highest concern for the neighbourhoods in which they live.
•    Senior officers to patrol with Neighbourhood Officers and PCSOs to get a warts-and-all view of challenges faced and to make sure they have the support needed.
•    Heightened community engagement and social media activity to make sure the people of GM know who their local officers are and how they can be contacted.

Sgt Matt Honey, Neighbourhood Sergeant for GMP Rochdale spoke of how vital community policing is for the community 

He said: “It’s really important, we are the ones that are speaking to the community, in my areas specifically we’ve set up the Neighbourhood networking meetings 

“Each area as a dedicated PC and PCSO, as a minimum. Our department are the people that they come and speak to, and we’ve got it in our gift to address these issues with working with everyone.”

The networking meetings take place once a month across each area of Rochdale, in conjunction with Rochdale Borough Housing and Rochdale Council, with the force looking for as many people to attend as possible. 

Sgt Honey and his team are focusing a lot on road policing this week with a number of operations throughout the area as this is one of the main concerns from the public.

“We are focusing a lot on traffic offences and anti-social driving; we’ll have stop checks happening throughout the week in various different locations ensuring people are complying with the law”

“Each neighbourhood team are targeting these people in their areas because we know them best. 

“We’ve got help from different agencies”

GMP's commitment to dealing with issues faced by Neighbourhood Policing reflects its renewed focus under the Plan on a Page - a single page document outlining in simple terms a back-to-basics style of policing focussed on delivering an improved service for the people of Greater Manchester.

Superintendent Ben Ewart added: "Our Neighbourhood Officers are at the heart of policing in Greater Manchester.

"When people envisage the traditional 'bobby on the beat', what they are generally thinking of is our hard-working Neighbourhood Officers and PCSOs.

"They are the visible, friendly policing presence at a community level and very often on first-name terms with people in the communities they serve.

"But equally importantly, they are at the sharp end of policing. They are experts on the areas they serve; highly adept at acting on reports of crime and channelling intelligence to ensure successful policing operations bring offenders to justice”

Find your local Neighbourhood Officer by entering your postcode at www.gmp.police.uk/a/your-area