On Sunday, 30th June, St Philip’s Centre and Leicestershire Police proudly welcomed colleagues from Rotterdam Police as part of the ‘Cops Communities Consent Project’.
Funded by the Open Society Foundations, the project aims for closer integration between the Police and faith/ black & minority ethnic communities by trying new ideas and sharing good practice with overseas partners.
In partnership between Leicester, Rotterdam (Netherlands) and Antwerp (Belgium), the project contains seven strands which include; ‘Police Pairing’, ‘Shadow Policing’, ‘Force Faith Forum’, ‘Community Cases’, ‘Cops & Communities in Classrooms’, ‘Your Community, Your Police, YouTube!’ and ‘International Exchange’.
As part of the visit, Hans Hoogesteger, Roel Jonkman and Mieke Pistorius, the representatives from Rotterdam Police also met Simon Cole the Chief Constable of Leicestershire Police and the Police & Crime Commissioner Lord Willy Bach.
Voluntary Community Advocate, Suleman Nagdi, who is involved in the project, said: “We explored how we can share learning between the respective forces and communities. The project has already trialled a number of schemes designed to break down barriers such as ‘Police Pairing’ where Police Officers were received into the homes of people from various faith communities for an evening of mutual understanding and the strengthening of ties.
“I am also grateful to the Chief Constable and the Police & Crime Commissioner for their endorsement”.
Riaz Ravat, Deputy Director of St Philip’s Centre, added: “I am proud that Leicester is an international city. As well as trade and commerce, we can also export ideas and approaches about diversity and inclusion. This partnership reflects Leicester at its best – being open, hospitable and sharing globally”.
For further information, visit: St Phillip’s Centre
