New commander to look after Harborough and Wigston

The implementation of a new policing model has led to the creation of a new neighbourhood policing area in the force.

A new inspector is taking charge of the Harborough and Oadby and Wigston areas for Leicestershire Police.

Siobhán Gorman will be taking up the role this month following the creation of a new policing area.

Currently there are eight Neighbourhood Policing Areas (NPAs) across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

But the force will be implementing a new policing model from March 11, the Target Operating Model (TOM) which will see the creation of a ninth area.

This had led to the division of the Eastern Counties NPA which previously covered Melton, Rutland and Harborough to create two new areas – Melton and Rutland NPA and Harborough and Wigston NPA.

The other major changes the new model will lead to include the creation of a new role of Neighbourhood Patrol Officer which will carry out both response and investigative duties and the establishment of co-located CID offices in each area led by a Detective Inspector.

The community will benefit from improved service, more resilience and capability in local areas, officers will have stronger local knowledge and intelligence and improved response times. 

Inspector Gorman joined Leicestershire Police in 2002 as a patrol officer based at Charles St Police Station. She has worked in a variety of roles during her career, including response, investigation and proactive policing. 

Since October 2018 she has been the NPA Commander for Eastern Counties.

She said: “I have had the privilege to work alongside some truly dedicated members of the community to make the communities of Melton and Rutland safer and I’d like to thank them for all of the support from partners and the community over the last 18 months.

“I will retain Harborough area as part of my new role where I will continue to improve on our strong partnership working. I look forward to the increase in responsibility of having response teams under my command again and I have already met representatives and partners from Oadby and Wigston.

“I have had a very warm welcome and I look forward to police this area that I know well. I have a dedicated team of officers and volunteers who want to deliver the best we can to ensure the people of Harborough, Lutterworth, Broughton Astley, Oadby, Wigston and all the villages feel safe, listened to and be a part of the solution. “

The changes the new policing model will bring can only be beneficial according to Inspector Gorman.

She added: “It will provide more visibility in our neighbourhoods and as more officers will be based locally there will be less travelling time- resulting in better response times. I see this as a rejuvenation of the way we work.

“In general terms the officer who comes to your front door will be the one that sees it right through to initial investigation to resolution. This means better ownership of issues and the ability to build trust and confidence with the public.”

As part of the new structure Detective Inspector Henry Henderson will oversee CID for Harborough and Wigston