Hope 2008 Conference held at Enderby

Major meeting held at Leicestershire Police Headquarters, Enderby

06 March 2008

Leicestershire Constabulary Headquarters, Enderby ....Venue of Hope 2008 Conference
Graphic: Enderby EYE

Exploring how churches can work together with neighbourhood policing teams to make a real difference in their communities was the subject of a major conference held at Leicestershire Police Headquarters, Enderby on Thursday February 28, 2008.

More than 120 delegates, including the Bishop of Leicester, and other senior figures from churches across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland were invited to attend the event which was organised to coincide with Hope 2008.

This year-long national initiative brings together every type of Christian denomination, organisation and movement in a bid to reach out into their communities and bring lasting change.

One of its aims is to encourage collaboration between churches and agencies such as the police.

The event included a presentation on neighbourhood policing and featured a number of workshops in which delegates, together with their local officers, identified areas of common ground and discussed ideas for further building relationships with the police, church and local community.

A number of awards were presented to individuals for their outstanding work in the community by the Chief Constable and the Bishop of Leicester.

Supt Rob Nixon, Neighbourhood Policing, said:

"Churches want to impact upon their local communities through practical action and partnership with police and this event allowed us to explore this further.

"There has already been some excellent work done and the evening also gave us the opportunity to celebrate some of the successes."

Leicestershire's Chief Constable, Matt Baggott, who opened the event said:

"Hope 2008 provides both a unique and truly significant opportunity for churches to work alongside neighbourhood police officers in improving the quality of life in all our communities.

"If churches thank and encourage local officers in their day to day work and get involved practically in tackling neighbourhood concerns, then the impact could be truly immense."

Associated links:

» Hope 2008

» Leicestershire Constabulary