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Damian Kitchen has only recently begun to settle into his role as the head of Bailiwick Law Enforcement, but he's acknowledged from the outset that one of his challenges is building trust with his new community.
He was appointed to the role, following Ruari Hardy's retirement last month.
Mr Kitchen has 29 years of experience, working within various police forces, including a quarter of a century with the Lancashire police, and he’s got experience surrounding some of the biggest events on the planet.
Pictured: Ruari Hardy (left) announced his decision to step down from his role in January this year, with Damian Kitchen confirmed as his successor last month.
During his first press briefing with local media, he said: “my role has been running the National Police Coordination Centre in London, which has involved working on the Paris Olympics this year, but also working on really big national events.
“Like the Queen's funeral, the coronation, G7. So I've had an amazing career in the UK, which I've enjoyed every minute of.”
It’s a big change from big city policing, said Mr Kitchen, and being a smaller jurisdiction, will have its own challenges to deal with. That change from the usual helped attract Mr Kitchen to Guernsey.
“I’ve worked with Guernsey on and off for a few years, just around some resourcing as part of my role in London," he said. "First and foremost, it's an absolutely beautiful place to live, and that's the same across the Bailiwick.
“I've not got to all the islands yet. I've done Herm, but I'm told that Sark and Alderney, all very beautiful. Such a beautiful part of the world. I just saw it as an amazing privilege to lead a law enforcement agency and police service in a really unique setting, something that I would never get chance to do in the UK.”
His new home will have it’s unique challenges, and problems to navigate he acknowledges, but Mr Kitchen says there’s a really good starting point in Guernsey, and one he’s keen to push off from, and make a difference.
“I think we've got a really good footing and a really good workforce and good partnerships that allow me to take that to the next level. So my job is to harness that and to provide the absolute best service to communities across the Bailiwick.
Pictured: Damian Kitchen during his first briefing with the Bailiwick's media.
“It's always going to be a stretch resourcing a police force in current financial climates, and it's also always going to be a stretch around retaining and recruiting people to all public sectors.
“I'm not just saying police force or the law enforcement environment. It's always going to be tough given the context of where we're at, and kind of, the mix of local and imported talent to do any job on the island.”
One of the first hurdles Mr Kitchen faces is building trust with the local community That will centre around how Guernsey Police deal with complaints, under recently restructured legislation.
“I will root people out, that shouldn't be in public service," he said. "It allows me to get the professional standards staff to focus on the people I want to root out.
“The public and the politicians in Guernsey have to put their trust in me, as the head of the force, and my values, and my leadership, to do the right thing. Now, I will work within whatever legal framework is delivered or given to me.
Pictured: With almost three decades of policing, Damian Kitchen says he's looking forward to serving the Guernsey Community in a place similar to "home".
“Ultimately, we want those people that shouldn’t be in the police, not to be in the police. So that's my commitment, which I've demonstrated throughout my career. That I will go in hard and robust on anyone who should not be in the police service.”
A big part of the review over the complaints process came amid growing concerns over the trust between the public and the police officers in place to protect and serve them.
Those who hold those concerns may find some solace in Mr Kitchen's pledge to root out any bad apples, and his commitment to our community may also provide some peace of mind.
“I've grown up in a rural community. I live here now, but where my family is, is still in a rural community. So it's a bit of a home from home for me, because people are friendly and people speak to each other, and are very welcoming in terms of their engagement and their relationship with the police.
“It is early days for me. I am determined to draw up our plans going forward over the next three years, in consultation with communities.”
During his first local press briefing, Mr Kitchen's commitment to the community came to light several times.
“Yes, we need to talk to our internal people," he said. "We need to talk to politicians. We need to talk to the Home Affairs Committee, but we can't draw up a plan for the future without engaging with the public. I have already had conversations with some of my team around finding ways to get the public and the community's viewpoint on what's important to them.
“It's a lovely community in an absolutely beautiful place, and you know, communication is a two-way thing. So when I talk about being more visible in neighbourhoods and being engaged with communities more, it's not just about the community telling me what they think. It's about us proactively going out and speaking to them about their priorities and what's important to them.”
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