Neighbourhood Policing Profiles - PC Caitlin Crampton

GMP is conducting a week of intensified Neighbourhood Policing as part of a renewed focus on tackling the crimes that matter most to our communities.

Coinciding with the national Neighbourhood Policing (NP) Week of Action, January 17 - Sunday 23 January 2022 will see a range of operations in support of GMP's hard-working Neighbourhood teams and PCSOs.

Each day we hear a different voice from across the force speak about how they've worked within their neighbourhood to make a positive impact.

PC Caitlin Crampton has been working out of West Didsbury Police Station since October 2021.

Here she talks about how she became an officer via the Police Now programme, having originally gained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Ethics at the University of Manchester.

She said: "Being a police officer had always been a dream job of mine. I knew through the entirety of my time at university that I wanted to do a job that made a difference. I wanted to have a career that I could look back on and feel proud that perhaps at some point I'd managed to make a difference to someone.

"It was only a year ago that I noticed the Police Now Programme. Police Now’s mission was to transform communities, reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, and increase the public’s confidence in the police service by recruiting, developing and inspiring outstanding and diverse individuals to be leaders in society and on the policing frontline.

"The programme was reaching out for graduates who could apply problem solving skills and innovative ideas to the role as a Neighbourhood police officer. For me, it was difficult leaving university and not knowing how I could best use my degree. However, once I saw the Police Now mission and their specific recruitment of graduates I knew that this was the correct entry route into the police for me.

"I started my training to join Greater Manchester Police in the summer of 2021 and began my 10 week tutorship phase at West Didsbury Police Station in October. From the moment I began, I can honestly say that I've not once regretted my decision to join the police. I was successful in completing my tutorship and have since been declared fit for independent patrol status. It was only after Christmas that I was approached and asked whether I'd like to be part of the University Engagement Team.

"Hearing about the role filled me with excitement and I instantly knew that engagement between the police and students was something I could put some real passion into. Drawing upon my own experiences from university I understand that sometimes the relationship that students have with the police is poor. I remember not really knowing the best way to go about reporting crime or who I could speak to about feeling unsafe in certain areas. Living away from home in a different city is a daunting experience in itself, without the added stress of being the regular target of crime.

"However, I've also now seen some of the amazing work that the University Engagement Team do to safeguard students. I feel as though drawing on my own past experience is really going to allow me to support and communicate with students in a way that I would have appreciated years ago. I am confident that I can help in bridging that gap between students and the police. I'm excited to undertake the role of University Engagement officer and thoroughly believe that I can make a positive difference."