GUERNSEY Police is striving to strengthen its links with the public. And one person who is working harder than most in that department is Sergeant Jane Henaghen.
She joined the force last August, having previously been a community and partnership sergeant for Greater Manchester Police.
But despite the obvious differences between Manchester and Guernsey, she says her experience will serve her well in the island. ‘Guernsey is prime for neighbourhood policing and we can start from a very good base,’ she said.
‘When I came to Guernsey, I was pleasantly surprised at how much feedback we get from the public and there are some very public-spirited people here.’
Sgt Henaghen previously had responsibility for the Moss Side, Hulme and Longsight areas of Manchester.
‘It was very much inner city, multi-cultural and with a lot of guns,’ she said.
‘There was a real commitment from the division I worked in for community policing.
‘There were lots of issues and it was a transient community, but we did make in-roads in places that had been hard to reach in the past.’
One of the key issues on Moss Side was that people rarely wanted to make statements for fear of reprisals. By contrast, she found Guernsey people seemed prepared to help the police.
Sergeant Henaghen said she was trying to encourage a more community-based approach, particularly in younger officers.
Extra patrols are working in St Martin’s during the Easter school holiday without compromising coverage elsewhere, despite limited resources.
Feedback from a similar scheme that was operated in the Collings Road, St Peter Port, area had been good and residents seemed positive towards it.
The force also wants to develop a network of neighbourhood watch contacts islandwide to help police in their work.
Sgt Henaghen’s husband, Nigel, is also with the local force. He was previously a murder team officer in Greater Manchester. The couple have a son and a daughter, both of primary school age.
Article posted on 4th April, 2007 - 12.00am
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