Alan Hornett - Neighbourhood Specialist Officer (NSO) - A day in the life - Careers - Surrey Police

Profile: NSO Alan Hornett

Alan Hornett knew he wanted to be a policeman working in a local community from a very early age. Growing up in a village he knew his two local 'bobbies' and they knew Alan and, if not everyone else, certainly most people in the village.

But the style of policing changed. The officers disappeared and the community changed; people were less sure about crime and the ability of the police to respond to their needs.

After working his way through a variety of roles in Surrey Police, the opportunity to become a Neighbourhood Specialist Officer (NSO) presented itself and Alan jumped at the chance.

"It was a dream come true, for me." said Alan, "It was a change in the style of policing which I always wanted to be part of - it was a wonderful opportunity."

As part of the Tadworth and Walton Safer Neighbourhood Team, Alan leads a team of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) to improve the quality of life for residents by tackling the issues that make residents feel unsafe and in so doing improving reassurance.

"I really enjoy getting out and about with my team, meeting people and knowing that I have made a difference to their lives," he explained. "When I first arrived in the neighbourhood, people were frightened about youths gathering outside houses, and intimidating residents, by loud behaviour and racing motorbikes up and down the street."

"I got the residents together and asked them to keep diaries of what was happening and I also included the houses where most of the youths were from. The youths knew that their actions were being recorded, not just by me but by their neighbours and they moved on."

"At a panel meeting the residents said that the situation had improved 'big time'. It was a real measure of what could be achieved with the support of the community and in many ways it was the community taking the lead and me supporting them."

Alan also sees the difference in how partnership working is having a major impact.

"It's been a real benefit in working with local housing trusts and local authorities to tackle problems before they get out of hand. I couldn't have done it on my own. Solving problems jointly means that issues are tackled holistically creating sustained outcomes."

Along with his team, PCSOs Laura Johnson and Karen Hughes, Alan works with residents associations and community representatives, setting up panels and surgeries to listen to what their problems are and report back the team's progress to date.