Police Beat Meetings
What is it?
Police beat meetings are, quite simply, a place for local people to meet with police officers in their area to discuss issues that matter to the community. They’re a chance to make your voice heard in setting local policing priorities and holding the police to account for tackling them. Meetings can take place in a variety of locations from community centres to street corners, supermarket car parks and even on line. They should take place at times that are convenient for the majority of people in a neighbourhood, usually at evenings or weekends. Some forces also hold dedicated beat meetings for young people and for minority groups in the community.
How can I get involved?
Simply go to www.police.uk and type in your postcode or the name of your town, village or street. That will bring up details of your local neighbourhood policing team and of the beat meetings they have planned.
At the moment, most areas will already have meetings organised, but the Government is making sure everyone has a chance to get involved; there will soon be a legal requirement for chief officers of police to hold regular meetings in each neighbourhood. The requirement is part of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill, which is still going through Parliament, and we hope it will be in force.
Where can I find out more?
- Police UK website for information about your neighbourhood policing team and crime in your area.
- Directgov for more information about neighbourhood policing and getting involved with local anti-crime work.