Thanet community group meet local police to learn safety advice

Officers in Thanet have visited a community group in Birchington-on-Sea to promote the work being done to tackle violence against women and girls.

Neighbourhood officers met members of the Deaf Friends Beyond Words book club, on Saturday 11 January 2025.

A number of role-play scenarios were acted out with the group, to show the members how to seek help if they experience inappropriate behaviour from another person.

The scenarios also took them through the steps of reporting an incident to police, and how an investigation progresses from initial report, to arrest and outcome. The participants were able to see the work carried out by officers to keep women safe and the support provided to a victim.

Sergeant Ben Rose said:

‘We are grateful for the warm welcome we received from the group, they were enthusiastic to get involved and really engaged with the scenarios. ‘We take robust measures to deter violence against women and girls, and it is important that anyone who finds themselves a victim of such a crime knows how to report it and understands the process of detecting a crime and an offender. ‘We often look at different ways to communicate with the community and by using various approaches according to the needs of the audience, such as role-playing, we hope it leads to more people feeling confident and empowered with the information they have learnt and to seek help when needed.’