PW_2_2024

Professional Development

A World of Learning Gareth Twigg, Devon & Cornwall Branch The Churchill Fellowship was founded in 1965 as a legacy of Sir Winston Churchill. It supports UK citizens to learn from the world, bringing knowledge back to the UK. Gareth Twigg was awarded a Fellowship in 2023. H aving lived most of my life in the shadow of Dartmoor , I enjoy all things related to the countryside. In 2021, New Zealand’s Independent Police Conduct Authority, the equivalent of the UK

During my trip, I visited 15 different police stations and spoke with nearly 100 people. Although I had travelled halfway around the world, I found issues and challenges very similar to those experienced at home. The learning will be explored in more detail in my final report, which I will complete after my visit to Namibia. It was clear in New Zealand, that police visibility, accessibility and engagement were considered to be key in providing an effective service. This won’t come as a surprise to colleagues from rural beats, but emphasises to leaders the importance of maintaining a meaningful policing presence outside of our towns and cities.

IOPC, responded to public concerns by publishing a review of rural policing. The report provided recommendations covering many different aspects from governance through to staff welfare. I wanted to see how recommendations from the report have been implemented, to discover if there is anything that could be developed for use in Britain. The UK tends to look at westernised jurisdictions for research and answers, so I wanted to experience rural policing within a completely different culture. With the support of my force, I applied for a Churchill Fellowship to visit both New Zealand and Namibia. After an interview in London, I was delighted to have been successful. I set off for Auckland in October 2023. Before travelling I contacted New Zealand Police’s lead for rural policing, Insp Karen Ellis. Karen introduced me to contacts across the country. I wanted to meet police and community members from different locations, to find examples of good practice that were sympathetic to local need. I began north of Auckland, working out of Orewa Police Station with my host, Senior Sergeant Brett Henshaw. I visited Springboard, an initiative that supports at-risk young people at Warkworth and Woodhill Forest, a vast Māori managed area of woodland, to see how they worked in partnership with local police to reduce crime & anti-social behaviour. The next leg of my trip took me to Gisborne, on the east coast, where Senior Sergeant Danny Kirk, explained how police had been involved in the response to Cyclone Gabrielle. I visited the multi-agency Emergency Control Centre at Gisborne, which was initially set up in preparation for a magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami, which scientists say is overdue in the region. During my stay, I saw the police response to gang violence. Motorcycle gangs are a feature of life in New Zealand. Whilst in Gisborne, there were three drive-by shootings, leading to the police invoking rarely used stop & search powers. The next stage saw me visiting Police HQ in Wellington. Being a national police force, implementing national working practices is more straightforward than in the UK. I heard how an app has been developed, which allows rural people to report crime and suspicious activity, whilst giving the police the ability to share crime prevention advice and messages. Whilst in the capital, I met with the authors of the IPCA review. It was interesting to hear the links they had made between the welfare of rural officers and quality of service. In New Zealand, ‘Rural Officer’ is a designation that attracts a higher pay scale, in recognition of the challenges of isolated working. Rural officers have periods of ‘on-call’, during which they are the primary response for incidents in their area. I then travelled to South Island, basing myself at Invercargill, where I could feel icy blasts straight from the Antarctic. I was surprised to meet an ex-D&C officer, who now patrols the mountainous area of Fiordland. I also visited Christchurch, where I met with Jade McCormick, policy officer of Federated Farmers, the equivalent of our NFU.

Gisborne Spring Show

Mountain near Queenstown

POLICE WORLD Vol 69 No.2, 2024

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