New Northamptonshire Police Chief Constable says he wants to be highly visible and ‘not stuck in an office’

The new Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police says he has made a pledge to officers that he will not be “stuck in an office” but will help lead the way in making sure officers are out in the community.
New Northamptonshire Police Chief Constable Simon Edens went out on patrol with officers in Oundle on his first day in the jobNew Northamptonshire Police Chief Constable Simon Edens went out on patrol with officers in Oundle on his first day in the job
New Northamptonshire Police Chief Constable Simon Edens went out on patrol with officers in Oundle on his first day in the job

On his first day in charge of the county force, Simon Edens went out on patrol with officers in Oundle and then visited Weston Favell Police Station.

Mr Edens, who is a former deputy chief constable of Leicestershire Police and regularly posts on the social networking site Twitter, said he wanted to be a chief constable who was highly visible to the public and his workforce.

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He said: “Myself and the chief officer team will adopt ‘agile working’ to allow officers to do tasks away from the office.

“We have the technology now that means officers don’t have to return to a police station. They don’t need to be tied to an office or tied to a building. That’s not where policing happens. Policing happens out in the community.

“Policing happens out of big buildings and setting that first marker down today for me was really important.”

Mr Edens, who was appointed by the Police and Crime Commissioner Adam Simmonds after an application process that involved a Question Time event with police officers, said he was “excited” about his new role.

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He said: “I’m excited by the ambition this force represents. We are not content with ‘good enough’ we want to go beyond that. From my point of view I’m really excited that the opportunity came up and I was able to apply for it.

New Northamptonshire Police Chief Constable Simon Edens went out on patrol with officers in Oundle on his first day in the joNew Northamptonshire Police Chief Constable Simon Edens went out on patrol with officers in Oundle on his first day in the jo
New Northamptonshire Police Chief Constable Simon Edens went out on patrol with officers in Oundle on his first day in the jo

“Me and the police and crime commissioner seem to get on well. I find him very positive and encouraging and I find that very helpful.

Mr Edens, who started his career with the Royal Ulster Constabulary and has worked for five different forces, said reducing violent crime would be one of his key targets.

He said: “There is never an acceptable amount of violence so we have to continuously renew that response to those threats.

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“The ideal is that we prevent it. We work very closely with partners such as the local authorities.

“In order to prevent that sort of harm we need to deal with the most vulnerable in society and the most dangerous in society. Getting that balance right helps to reduce the threat of violence.

“But for those who suffer violence we need to respond in a way that is sensitive to their needs and relentlessly pursue justice so people can see there is an outcome if they chose to use violence.”