Police Crime Prevention Academy empowers island forces with training
James Thorpe
Share this content
The Police Crime Prevention Academy has announced its assistance to the States of Jersey Police and Guernsey Police in the ongoing professional development of its officers.
In January 2024, the Academy collaborated with both forces, hosting a CPD event focused on problem solving, site security surveys for residential and non-residential properties and the Environmental Visual Audit (EVA) process.
The Academy’s training
Over three days, officers from both jurisdictions attended the event, with support from their respective Chief Officers Robin Smith and Ruari Hardy, facilitating an exchange of experiences among delegates from the two island forces.
The States of Jersey Police, covering an area of 119.4 km², serves a resident population of just over 107,000 people, along with over 700,000 annual visitors.
With 215 officers, many are trained in specialised skills beyond their regular duties, necessitating substantial investment in training to maintain expertise.
Meanwhile, Guernsey Police, serving the Bailiwick of Guernsey, covers the entire bailiwick including the Islands of Guernsey, Alderney, Herm and Sark.
Encompassing 78 km² and serving a resident population of around 67,500, the force upholds enforcement jurisdiction across the islands.
Guy Ferguson, CEO, Police CPI commented: “We were delighted to work with police colleagues in the Channel Islands to help them enhance their crime prevention and problem solving skills.
“This investment in the officers professional development will help support them in their role and ensure that they make a real difference in their local communities.”
Inspector David Turnbull, Head of Community Policing, The States of Jersey Police added: “Crime prevention is a crucial aspect of maintaining safety and security in our local communities as reflected in our new Policing Plan for 2024 – 2027 as one of our strategic visions.
“Following the training by The Police Crime Prevention Academy, 12 Officers from our Community Policing Team are now equipped to provide valuable advice to community members, local businesses and victims of crime.
“Their expertise will help enhance safety and security, making our communities a safer place to live and work.
“Furthermore three officers will now be undertaking further training and development to gain a formal qualification in Crime Prevention.”
“The training provided valuable procedures”
Guernsey Police expressed: “The joint training presented by The Crime Prevention Academy to both Guernsey Officers and our colleagues from The States of Jersey Police was an opportunity to learn in partnership and discuss the issues we both face within our local communities.
“It was encouraging to see that Guernsey and Jersey are working in a similar way on crime prevention and tackling antisocial behaviour and the issue of violence against women and girls.
“The training provided valuable procedures for how we should seek to work with partner agencies and seek to prevent criminality.
“The training has given the Guernsey Crime Reduction Officer and Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant additional skills that will assist in crime reduction and protecting the more vulnerable members of our community and their property from becoming victims of crime.
“The attending staff were also given a presentation by a commercial business which has developed and introduced a number of products which could assist in protecting properties and valuable possessions in the island.
“We would like to thank The States of Jersey Police for their hospitality and the staff from the Crime Prevention Academy for coming to the Channel Islands to deliver the training. We hope to work more closely with them in the future and share ideas around tackling the types of crime we encounter within the Bailiwick.”
The qualifications
The Police Crime Prevention Academy, one of the seven initiatives owned by Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (Police CPI), was established in response to the College of Policing’s withdrawal from crime prevention and designing out crime training in 2017.
Under an agreement with the College of Policing, the Academy assumed responsibility for delivering this training.
Offering a range of crime prevention, designing out crime and problem solving qualifications, as well as eLearning courses, webinars and bespoke training events, the Academy caters to police forces across the UK, as well as the public and private sectors.
Accredited by ProQual, these national vocational qualifications can be delivered locally and in person, virtually via Microsoft Teams or through the Academy’s eLearning platform.
