Members of the public will have two hours to meet Guernsey’s new Chief of Police at a community event planned for tomorrow evening.
Damian Kitchen will be at Les Cotils from 18:30 on Friday 4 April, talking to others and discussing his goals as the Bailiwick’s Head of Law Enforcement.
Taking place in the Harry Bound room, Chief Officer Kitchen will present the results of Guernsey Police’s recent community survey and a draft of the service’s priorities for the next three years.
Guernsey Police say that following the presentations, attending members of the public will have the opportunity to speak with Police representatives on any of the public’s ongoing concerns, suggestions, and feedback.
They add that it’s their intention to take away actions from this initial meeting and put in place some action plans around areas of specific concern, which the Police have committed to report back on, in a follow-up meeting.
Chief Officer Damian Kitchen said: “As the Head of Law Enforcement I am determined to build upon our relationships across the local community, particularly on the policing service we deliver. The public survey was a first step to improving our understanding of the issues which concern you, and it is vital that we continue momentum in this area because maintaining a strong partnership with our community, and understanding your concerns, is crucial.”
“I’d encourage anybody who wishes to raise particular issues, concerns, and feedback to attend and share your ideas with our panel. Effective policing and maintaining Guernsey as a safe place to live is a collaborative effort that extends beyond the capabilities and knowledge of law enforcement alone.”
Who is Damian Kitchen?
Guernsey’s new Head of Law Enforcement and Chief of Police has 29 years of experience, working within various police forces, including a quarter of a century with the Lancashire police, and he’s got experience surrounding some of the biggest events on the planet.
He needed that experience when he stepped into a police force under public scrutiny, and facing sweeping changes to the way complaints are handled.
When Chief Officer Kitchen was introduced to the island’s media personnel, after replacing the retired Ruari Hardy, he made bold claims stating he “will go in hard and robust on anyone who should not be in the police service.”
“I will root people out, that shouldn’t be in public service,” he said. “It allows me to get the professional standards staff to focus on the people I want to root out.
“The public and the politicians in Guernsey have to put their trust in me, as the head of the force, and my values, and my leadership, to do the right thing. Now, I will work within whatever legal framework is delivered or given to me.”
Part of his pledge centred around trust, but it wasn’t all about weeding out bad apples, but also about placing community at the heart of the Policing service in Guernsey, and these community meetings were clearly on his mind as a way of doing that, when he arrived in the island late last year.
“I’ve grown up in a rural community. I live here now, but where my family is, is still in a rural community. So it’s a bit of a home from home for me, because people are friendly and people speak to each other, and are very welcoming in terms of their engagement and their relationship with the police.
“It is early days for me. I am determined to draw up our plans going forward over the next three years, in consultation with communities.”
If you’d like to know more about Guernsey’s Head of Law Enforcement, you can read more on his pledges made, introduction to island life, and his initial thoughts on the Police Complaints procedure changes HERE.