Nub News gets Up Close with Community Engagement Officer PC Katie Jarrett who talks about liking people and bringing people together.

It takes a special kind of police officer to want to work primarily in community engagement and PC Katie Jarrett is exactly that.

Actually being on the beat. stopping to talk and taking time with residents to listen and understand their issues is all part of PC Katie's role, which she loves.,

"Community policing is something you have to have passion for," she told Nub News. "You have to be able to talk to people and above all listen, which is what I do well."

While PC Katie would love to walk, or even better cycle everywhere, her Safer Neighbourhood team patch is vast. Covering Hadleigh and all the surrounding villages, the Shotley peninsula and Ipswich West, it is a large area to cover.

She explained: "I have two very different areas. the Hadleigh patch is very rural and Ipswich West is more diverse, with different issues.

"Work wise It is similar issues throughout. Parking, speeding, anti-social behaviour, it is the same countrywide."

Personal circumstances brought PC Katie to Suffolk after transferring from Surry where she served for almost 18 years, latterly doing a similar role in Banstead.

While crimes and criminals pretty much stay the same, crime have not changed.

"Children are still children that they get bored is the same.

"Drugs is still an issue and are probably easier to access and the problem associated with the."

That said, PC Katie accepts actually policing has changed.

"I have had to embrace social media," she said. " That is one huge change for police over the past few years. I was not brought up with it so I'm having to learn and embrace it.

"Personally I prefer Facebook because easier to tell my story and get people's views.

"I have had to learn to get thicker skin, because there are a lot of keyboard warriors out there and as I'm a people pleaser who doesn't like to upset anyone."

She is certainly grateful mobile phones were not as prevalent back in the day when she fell of her bike while on duty.

"Imagine if it had been now, on social media, it would have gone viral," said PC Katie ruefully.

A recent public relations event held in Morrisons car park in Hadleigh involved working with Babergh's anti-social behaviour and housing team.

Angela Wiltshire a police volunteer and Hadleigh town councillor, was also there (in uniform) and PC Kate underlined the importance of partnership working.

Angela Wiltshire (far left) with PC Katie, Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore and othe rmembers of the team (Picture: Suffolk Police)

Often, and this is something a community engagement officer can ensure happens, youngsters are given options rather than be criminalised at a young age for minor misdemeanours or mistakes.

PC Katie added: "We work as team, we work closely with out partner agencies. Sometime the issues are not just police related.

"We would much rather work with partners, especially with youngster.

"We do not want to criminalise children if we don't have to. We would rather change their thought process, because sometimes that is all they need."

To that end PC Katies enjoys engaging with schools and talking with children from as early age group as possible, from Shotley Kidzone, or High School students.

I'm not scary. Our role is to keep them safe. If we have to put bad people away, then we will.

She said: "That is why it is important to visit children in early learning places and schools because I want them to know I'm not scary.

"Our role is to keep them safe. If we have to put bad people away, then we will.

"We are approachable and part of my job is to change people's perceptions - that is vital in my role.

"A lot of my diary is filled with children's evens from nurseries to scouts and many other groups."

PC Katie at Shotley Kidzone

While PC Katie has all the usual police equipment, and the young ones always want to see her taser, she values on thing above all else.

"My best piece of equipment is my voice," she said. "Every job we go to we need to communicate, Whether that is because someone want to hurt thmelsves or others. Or if we have to pass on a bad message, so talking is an important tool."

Getting to know her area and people by making sure she is approachable has been vital, but she is also grateful to her colleagues for helping her settle in Suffolk so well.

Although she mainly works out of Landmark House in Ipswich, PC Katie is a regular at Hadleigh Police Station, although it is not open to the public in the same way it used to be.

"The officers in Hadleigh have been so welcoming," she said. "I'm still getting to know the area but I have to say 99% people are so positive when we are doing these engagements.

Understandable though, the most oft comment when people see her on the beat is: "What you doing here, we don't see police on foot any more."

The main question asked by youngsters though is - "Why did you want to be a police officer?"

Her answer is straightforward: "Because I wanted to make difference I want people to know who I am because I want to be that face that people will come to because they have seen me at their school or in the High Street.

"Rebuilding trust in the Police is important and being out talking to people, and these pop events help achieve that.

"It warms my heart listening to people's stories and giving them my time.

"I hope I can provide continuity and consistency in the community by listening and learning and being a presence."

PC Katie has 12 years to serve before retirement, all being well, and is hoping to be left alone to build up trust.

"The more I do that, the more people I can help and that is good for everyone."

Just as in any occupation, there are well-documented bad apples in the police, but PC Katie has not experienced any unpleasantness with colleagues.

She said: "I have never seen any evidence of misbehaviour by colleagues. I have worked with various teams and yes there is banter but never in an inappropriate way.

"I was Jarrett, surnames, now I'm PC Katie, and that is it.

"There are bad one in everyone thing but I have not come across it at all."

In addition to wanting to see her kit, PC Katie is often asked by students how they can become a police officer.

She said: "I always say the same. Work at maths and English, and be driven.

"Get a part time, customer facing job and learn problem solving.

You will come across situations where you will need to find solutions, and you will do that by talking with people and not going on your phone all the time.

"You have to want to do this We are passionate, we care and we want to do that."

And that sums up why it takes special people like PC Katie, to become police officers and more pertinently Community Engagement officers.