Forty years’ service in uniformed policing for popular neighbourhood officer

A popular and well-known member of the East Northamptonshire Neighbourhood Policing Team reached a career milestone this month, having spent a total of 40 years in a uniformed policing role.

Peter Littleton first joined Northamptonshire Police back in October 1984. Following his retirement in 2015 after 31 years as a police officer, he decided it was too soon to hang up his boots completely and rejoined the service as a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO).

Peter’s initial PCSO appointment was with British Transport Police, where he spent nearly six years patrolling St Pancras and Kings Cross railway stations. Then in 2021, the opportunity to transfer to Northamptonshire Police arose and Peter was posted to the neighbourhood policing team in Rushden – which coincidently was his very first beat as young officer some 36 years earlier.

Much of Peter’s policing career has been in community policing, including about 20 years as a rural beat officer and five years as a schools liaison officer. He also spent a year in an investigative role, during which time he led and was commended for his investigation into a series of knifepoint robberies in Wellingborough in 2006.

Peter highlights his desire to help people and his sense of wanting to see justice done as his primary reasons for becoming a police officer.

He said: “Helping the community, supporting victims of crime and obtaining justice for the aggrieved were my primary reasons for joining the police, and achieving these things provides an immense amount of job satisfaction. It’s still what drives me as a neighbourhood PCSO and keeps me enthusiastic about the job.

“There have been many highlights over the years and one that springs to mind is an investigation I led into a number of knifepoint robberies in the Queensway area of Wellingborough, which were understandably causing a lot of concern to local residents. I was tasked with leading the investigation into the various offences, which ultimately resulted in the conviction and imprisonment of two offenders for a total of 17 knifepoint robberies and other offences.

“Whether I’m working in neighbourhood policing or an investigative role, I’m always on the lookout for intelligence and when I see any investigative opportunities, I will dig deeper. I’ve always been a bit like a dog with a bone and will dig and dig to try to find out as much as possible to obtain the evidence required to detect the crime and bring the offenders to justice.

“As a police officer or PCSO, you can have the opportunity to make a really positive difference in the lives of victims, offenders and the community as a whole. I recall a time in 2001 when I dealt with young man with addiction problems who had been involved in traffic collision in a car stolen from his dad. Later when I took him home, we talked about his family situation and about faith and church, which his mother had also recently mentioned to him, and I shared my personal testimony with him.

“Out of the blue, a few years later, I received a letter from him, recalling that night and commenting how our conversation had helped him. He had changed his life completely, found faith, become free from addiction and now had a wonderful relationship again with his family and a job working to rehabilitate other drug addicts.

“Seeing the transformation that you can make in a person's life simply by sharing some simple truths with them gives immense job satisfaction, and it’s a privilege to have the opportunity to do so.

Peter is equally passionate about his role as a police community support officer. He thoroughly enjoyed his time with the British Transport Police, where he was able to use his policing experience, in particular his statement taking skills and procedural knowledge, to support his police officer colleagues with a variety of crime investigations.

His work in Northamptonshire is a little different. As part of a neighbourhood policing team, he gets more involved in visible patrols to reassure the community, dealing with anti-social behaviour and community issues that often require a problem solving approach to find long-term solutions, while also being able to really get to know the local area and the people who live and work there.

Peter added: “Neighbourhood policing helps give stability to the local community, giving local residents a trusted point of contact. Spending a number of years working in the same community helps to build relationships with stakeholders and the community, and officers develop a local knowledge of the area that is second to none.

“There’s probably no better way to obtain information and intelligence than having a neighbourhood officer who knows their area like the back of their hand regularly interacting with their local community. This can prove invaluable when obtaining evidence, investigating crime and in helping to create a safe environment for the local community.

“Things have of course changed over the 40 years I’ve been in the police service. In particular, technological advances have made a huge difference to the way we do things. But fundamentally, people still want to know who their local officers are, that they are dealing with crime and anti-social behaviour, and those who commit it, and keeping their community safe.

Neighbourhood Policing Inspector for Wellingborough and East Northamptonshire, Miriam Kiernan, said: “Throughout Peter’s four decades of policing, he has no doubt had an immeasurable impact not only in the community that he tirelessly serves but also with his colleagues. He has shown that policing is not just a career but a vocation.

“Throughout this time, he has worn many hats and faced countless challenges, always with a smile and a positive attitude. Peter has shown unwavering dedication and I am proud to have him as member of my team.”

Throughout his 40-year service, Peter has also been an active member of the Christian Police Association, leading the Northamptonshire Branch for more than 20 years until 2013. He has no plans to retire from policing just yet and remains committed to serving others in his second policing career as a PCSO.