Information about the role of a neighbourhood police constable, including the role purpose, key responsibilities and the skills required.
About the role
A neighbourhood police constable is a local policing position within the community policing sector. It's a service deliverer role in the policing professional profiles.
Role purpose
A neighbourhood police constable works as part of a neighbourhood policing team to provide a presence that is accessible to, responsible for, and accountable to that community.
Working collaboratively to address community issues using problem solving by integrated working with a range of public, private and voluntary partners, building trust and confidence and developing a detailed understanding of the community.
Key responsibilities
Key responsibility statements show the accountabilities for someone in this role. They focus on what is done, not how it is done.
- Identifying threat, harm and risk through developing an understanding of local issues to best protect the public.
- Engaging with partners to support and safeguard vulnerable individuals and groups within the community to prevent them becoming victims or repeat victims of crime or disorder.
- Identifying a range of approaches, including partnership working to manage and divert those at risk of reoffending to reduce their impact on the community.
- Supporting community engagement and participation in policing by aiding in the development of a range of approaches to support crime prevention, building social cohesion and community confidence in policing.
- Using recognised problem-solving techniques to develop targeted approaches to reduce the impact of crime and disorder on the community.
- Using policing powers to solve community problems in a just and fair way, explaining their use to support the principles of procedural justice and build trust and confidence in policing.
Competencies, values and core skills
The competency and values framework (CVF) provides clear expectations for everyone working in policing. It describes the behaviours required by police officers and staff to be effective in their roles and uphold the Code of Ethics for policing.
Competencies
The CVF has six competencies, which are split into levels. These levels can be used flexibly to allow for a better fit with frontline and non-frontline policing roles, and at different levels of seniority. This ensures that there is consistency throughout all the policing professional profiles. Some roles may contain different CVF levels due to the specialist nature of the role. Those working at higher levels should also fulfil the requirements of the lower levels.
This role should be operating at or working towards the following competencies.
- We are emotionally aware – Level 1: practitioner
- We take ownership – Level 1: practitioner
- We collaborate – Level 1: practitioner
- We support and inspire – Level 1: practitioner
- We analyse critically – Level 1: practitioner
- We are innovative and open-minded – Level 1: practitioner
Values
The CVF has three values that apply to everyone in policing, regardless of their role or seniority.
Core skills
All roles in policing have nine core skills in common. These are split into levels that represent the different levels of policing. This role should be operating at or working towards the following core skills.
- Communicating and influencing – Level 1
- Problem solving – Level 1
- Performance management – Level 1
- Relationship management – Level 1
- Change management – Level 1
- Managing people – Level 1
- Managing resources – Level 1
- Planning – Level 1
- Use of IT – Level 1
Education, qualifications and experience
Previous education, qualifications and experience
- Typically, a police constable is likely to have achieved a level 3 qualification (or equivalent) prior to entry.
- Completed mandatory assessments on recruitment.
In-role education, qualifications and experience
- Recommended to complete the neighbourhood policing programme (NPP) 1 and 2.
Continuing professional development
Continuing professional development (CPD) enables everyone in policing to develop and gain recognition for their professional skills, knowledge and competence. CPD ensures that we continue to provide high-quality policing to keep the public safe and help to drive career aspirations. Discussion of CPD is usually included as part of professional development review (PDR) conversations.
Learning and accreditation
- Complete all annual and mandatory training.
- Any exemptions to learning and accreditation requirements are at chief constable discretion, in line with the local force policy.
Professional development
This role should consider the following CPD:
- maintaining and updating key knowledge, understanding and skills relating to crime, legislation, policy, and practice across all functional policing areas of neighbourhood policing
- maintaining knowledge and understanding of new approaches identified by evidence-based policing research and problem solving and team working and synthesise these into working practice, championing innovation and changes to practice
- maintaining a working knowledge and understanding of new and evolving crime threats and priorities and current best practice
Related roles
You can find other service deliverer roles in the: