Page 18 - Bedfed Conf2016 Flip Book

Joined up approach needed to help vulnerable people
Photographs showing Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, Victoria Climbie, Baby P and daniel Pelka brought home the key message of a conference session looking at how the police service can tackle the new volume crime involving vulnerable people.
Chief Superintendent
Gavin Thomas, the first
speaker in the debate,
stressed that all agencies
working with vulnerable people had to improve information sharing and partnership working.
All too often information was only passed between agencies via a serious case review and rarely at the right time, in the right place and between the right professionals in a way that could prevent a vulnerable victim dying.
“I think policing has done a good job in getting its house in order,” he said, adding
it must improve further and that protecting children and the vulnerable was the most important job in policing. He predicted an increase in domestic abuse cases and accepted there were major challenges through child sexual exploitation, elderly abuse and honour based crime to name just a few.
A recent survey revealed 82 per cent of superintendents working in public protection had received no training in the role, 52 per cent had no previous experience of it, 65 per
cent felt this made them vulnerable, 81 per cent felt multi-agency safeguarding hub (MASH) sharing could be better and 70 per cent felt there were no arrangements in place for their wellbeing.
Superintendents felt the investigations often came at an emotional price and if anything went wrong they were left with the finger of blame pointed at them. A number of recommendations have been put forward to improve this.
The theme of the session was developed by Gareth edwards, of the Child Protection Abuse Investigation (CPAI) working group at the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) who talked about the academic support it was using to develop a National Safeguarding Action Plan and a training programme through the College of Policing.
Detective Superintendent Tim Martin, head of public protection investigation for Staffordshire Police, highlighted the pressure the public protection teams in his force are under, and said safeguarding victims is the responsibility of many agencies, not just the police.
OURREPsAYs
Gavin Thomas spoke well. He seemed
to have a very good understanding of the issues and was prepared to work with all sides.”
Rob Sparkes, chairman of the Bedfordshire Constables’ Branch Board
Chief Superintendent Gavin Thomas.
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