Commissioner champions trauma informed policing

Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, is championing a ground breaking scheme that sees Trauma informed experts joining three response and patrol policing teams (Portsmouth, Waterlooville and Portswood) to imbed trauma informed policing.

The Violence Reduction Unit project, which is believed to the first of its kind in the UK, aims to help Hampshire Constabulary culturally adopt trauma informed policing.

The Trauma Informed Practitioners (TIPs) are joining officers on patrol, attending calls which could include domestic abuse incidents, young people reported missing from home, offences involving violence and weapons, exploitation, and anti-social behaviour.  TIPs will also review body worn video footage and child safeguarding referrals to further promote understanding of being trauma informed, as well as providing training in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) and taking a Trauma Informed approach.

A Trauma Informed approach focuses on ‘What has happened to this person’? rather than ‘What is wrong with them’? The Programme highlights the potential negative impact of trauma as a result of earlier adverse or prolonged adverse childhood experiences (ACES), including poor attachment in early years.

The TIPs project is part of a larger Trauma Informed Training Programme that is being funded through a grant from the Home Office following a bid supported by the Police and Crime Commissioner.

Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones has also shown her support for a trauma informed approach by signing up to a multi-agency Hampshire wide trauma informed concordat.  This has a mission to embed trauma informed and restorative practice, promoting early intervention and prevention across public services. Ensuring agencies work together, alongside vulnerable people, families and communities, with the common aim of preventing adverse childhood experiences and where they have already occurred, to reduce the impact of those experiences.

Donna Jones said: “It is important that we understand how trauma from adverse experiences as children (ACEs) can impact upon us our whole lives. When we look at the past experiences of young people who are being violent a significant number have had a childhood that has included violence, drugs, alcohol abuse or other adverse experiences. We can all help reduce risk and increase the protection of children and young people suffering trauma by working in a trauma informed way. Embedding trauma informed practice across public services will help people live healthier crime-free lives.

Rock Pool are a partner delivering the TIP’s work, Trauma Informed Practitioner (TIP) Joanne Majauskis, said: “We are really excited to be a part of this innovative and important project. E shift have welcomed us onto the team and made us feel really at home. We have already had the opportunity to witness what a demanding and challenging job they face every day and how incredibly they carry it out. Our observations so far have shown us that undoubtedly the vast majority of people they are dealing with have experienced trauma in their lives and this is only highlighting to us the importance of a trauma informed approach.”