Our anti-social behaviour hero: Junior Anderson

Celebrating people who really make a difference in tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is today’s topic as national ASB Awareness Week continues.

Northamptonshire Police’s ASB lead, Sergeant Wyn Hughes, has nominated PC Junior Anderson as our ASB Hero 2024, and here he explains why.

“Junior epitomises the vocation of police officer. He is also an accomplished martial arts trainer with three world titles and as well as being a referee at world championships.

“Earlier this year he was awarded eighth dan black belt in martial arts after 46 years of training.

“Junior has worked with communities for many years teaching martial arts including the Deaf Children’s Society, children with disabilities/learning difficulties and wheelchair users, teaching self-defence specific to their needs when others have turned them away. 

“He’s taught self-defence to doctors and faith groups such as the Bangladesh women's group.

“Annually, Junior runs a summer programme for up to 100 under-privileged children, providing holiday activities to prevent anti-social behaviour and provide a fun, friendly environment where they can flourish. To support this, he has successfully sought funding from different sources.

“He ensures learning through drugs talks, first aid, games, policing talks, treasure hunts, and more. Junior has been doing this for eight years now. Although the community work is done in his own time, those attending know he is a police officer.

“In 2015, when I was a community sergeant in the Kingsthorpe area, I became aware of Junior`s commitment to young people within the Kingsthorpe community, where he was providing martial arts training at St David’s church hall. I felt that he was the ideal officer for my Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT).

“I arranged to meet up with Junior at his martial arts training and it was so evident the respect those young children and teenagers had whilst they were participating in his martial arts training.

“I asked Junior to accompany me as we patrolled in the Kingsthorpe area, and it certainly took quite some time to walk along the high street as many people of all ages called out to him by his first name, with many stopping to talk to him.

“Many were ex-pupils or the parents of young people that Junior has schooled in martial arts over many years. This convinced me that I wanted him on my team and was delighted when he joined us on Kingsthorpe NPT.

“Many young people asked for him by name if they were involved in low-level crime, and Junior would meet them with their parents where he would seek outcomes without criminalising them.

“Junior would ask for an opportunity to work with those young people who were involved in low-level crime who were unknown to him. He would meet up with them and their parents and he would offer to mentor them, succeeded in preventing many from reoffending.

“I found that his reputation earned him so much respect within the community that many would welcome him into their homes as Junior and secondly as PC Anderson.

“His influence prevented anti-social behaviour from escalating, with many of those involved apologizing to him and influencing others to stop their offensive behaviours.

“Junior has what many would call an old-fashioned approach that in previous years you might have found in small communities where the police constable was well-known and respected.

“Junior is a very modest and quietly spoken person. He is now in his 60s and still a serving police officer, who currently works on a team which seeks to engage and divert young people away from gang-related behaviours and is a prominent and well-respected member of that team.

“He embodies all the best qualities of community policing and has helped to turn countless lives around through his dedication and willingness to help others. Junior is truly an ASB hero.”