Policing is only a part of it: reflections from a Police Now Secondee
- anoushakarim
- May 30
- 4 min read
Careers
Amelia Harris
Friday 30 May 2025
Crest Advisory is proud to be a partner of Police Now, hosting officers on month-long secondments within our Consulting and Think Tank practices. This gives Police Now officers the opportunity to gain a broader understanding of the criminal justice system beyond operational policing and gives our staff the chance to learn valuable insights from frontline practice to enrich policy and strategy development. In this blog, our most recent secondee, Amelia, explores the benefits of this partnership and of bridging operational and strategic perspectives.
Working on the frontline can often feel like living in a bubble. But when I stepped back and engaged with the work at Crest Advisory, I realised how much more there is to the picture.
This secondment gave me a perspective that few of my peers have had. During my time in the police so far, I’ve focused on the day-to-day urgency of responding to incidents and safeguarding vulnerable people in the community that I serve. Stepping into a different environment offered a space to reflect on the wider system that the police operate within. Here are the three key takeaways from my time at Crest:
The bigger picture
My time at Crest helped me step outside the policing bubble. It provided me with a different perspective of how vast the criminal justice system (CJS) is and its interaction with all the other systems including the youth justice system, the Ministry of Justice, the Crown Prosecution Service and victim support system. Being involved in a number of projects also helped me identify gaps in my own knowledge and made me realise how much of the process happens outside of the immediate view of frontline policing. More importantly, I understood the critical role police play not just in enforcement, but as a key part of a wider ecosystem toward justice and support. This wider lens is an essential part of being more proactive and intentional in how police contribute to change, which is closely aligned to my neighbourhood policing role and Police Now’s Mission.
Connecting communities
Another valuable insight I gained during the secondment was the importance of bridging the gap between reporting and support. On the frontline work, we take the initial report and then move to the next incident, however, for the person or victim in front of us, they have just started their journey in the CJS.
Through the secondment, I was able to learn about victim support services and community navigators and the importance of early signposting. Even a routine task such as generating a crime report can have more impact when it’s paired with immediate signposting to support services. It’s about making connections early so that people aren’t left waiting for help whilst formal support referrals are being processed.
Frontline knowledge can inform policy strategy
Finally, by being embedded with the Crest team, I had the opportunity to share insights from my frontline role that helped shape Crest’s strategic thinking, such as taking part in a ‘red group’ (a session aimed at providing feedback and suggestions to a project) that focused on neighbourhood policing. At the same time, I gained a broader understanding of how data drives strategy and change, and who is involved in the decision-making process. It was particularly encouraging to see how Crest actively included a wide range of police voices in discussions about how to convert policy into practice. It reminded me that strategy is not something abstract, but rather it's built on the lived experiences of frontline workers and communities.
This experience also challenged me to think more analytically and critically, rather than viewing each incident as a stand-alone issue. While the fast pace of frontline work often limits the time to step back, I realised that we do have the ability to connect the dots. By piecing together information and patterns, we can contribute not just to immediate responses, but to long-term solutions that better serve our communities.
This secondment reaffirmed to me that while frontline work is vital, it is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to creating safer communities. Stepping outside of the immediate demands of day-to-day policing allowed me to see the interconnectedness of the system, but also gained new knowledge and broader perspective of the challenges faced by modern day policing, the diversity of victim support services available, and a deeper appreciation of the role the police play in the broader ecosystem of justice and community safety. I’m taking back that learning to improve my practice and will encourage others to do so.
We have hosted placements from a variety of different organisations. In recent years we’ve welcomed graduates from the Police Now and Unlocked programmes, as well as those from the Civil Service Fast Stream. Every summer we welcome Micro-Placement students from City, University of London. You can read about their experiences on our Careers page.
If you’re interested in doing a placement with us, please get in touch at contact@crestadvisory.com and we can discuss in more detail.
For graduates, or anyone at the beginning of their working career, we run six-month internships on a regular basis for those who have an interest in crime and justice and who want to learn more about the sector. To find out more, please see the Internship section on our Careers page.
