First ever North East Serious and Organised Crime Conference takes place

The region’s police organisations have teamed up with partners to host a unique event aimed at shining a light on evidence-based practice that reduces the harm caused by serious and organised crime.

The North East Serious and Organised Crime Conference was an innovative two-day event, that saw key specialists come together to deliver inputs showcasing national and regional examples of success, demonstrating new opportunities, highlighting new threats, and detailing new capabilities that can be utilised to assist in the prevention of serious and organised crime.

Held at the amazing Glow Centre in Aycliffe Business Park, on March 25 and 26, it was led by the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU) with the support of Durham Constabulary, Cleveland Police and Northumbria Police.

The Society for Evidence-Based Policing kindly sponsored the event and it also saw all three of the region’s Police and Crime Commissioners attend and show their support, with Susan Dungworth and Joy Allen, introducing speakers throughout both days.

Detective Chief Superintendent Phil Shutt, Head of NEROCU, said: “It was a fantastic event and we’ve had an incredibly positive response from those who attended.

“I want to thank all those who attended the conference and a special thank you to those who delivered a presentation. Everybody engaging with sessions is what made it the success it was.”

The event also had stalls from Cyber and Economic Crime specialists, Tackling Organised Exploitation (TOEX), Northumbria Police’s Trainee Detective Programme that tackles knife crime, and the City of London Police.

Dr Matt Bland, Chief Operating Officer, Society of Evidence Based Policing, said: “Evidence-Based Policing has become a staple of British policing but there’s much to do to support Serious and Organised Practitioner community and this event was a watershed moment in that effort.

“We were delighted to be able to discuss what benefits an evidence-informed approach can bring to tackling these major criminal threats and were enthused by the discussions and new connections we made. Using rigorous evaluation can only strengthen this area of policing and the North East is breaking new ground in the pursuit of it.”

DCS Shutt added: “In the North East we are proud of the connected and coherent response we deliver to the threat of serious and organised crime, providing a collaborative whole system approach across the region with our ROCU, three police forces, NCA and all our partners.

“NEROCU plays a pivotal role in connecting local to national delivery, and events like this are crucial in sharing best practice and raising awareness of the latest innovative capabilities available to maintain our momentum in targeting those involved in serious and organised crime and protecting our communities.”