Kelly Crockett

“I have been in my current role for two and a half years, previously working for the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (OPFCC) for around three years as an Early Intervention ACE Support Officer providing early help to children and families who have adverse childhood experiences, while helping to reduce demand on the police and statutory services.

“Within the Arson Task Force (ATF) we have four arson reduction strategic objectives: prevention, education, investigation and detection and support key aspects of the OPFCC Crime Plan focussing on safeguarding, arson related violence and crime, anti-social behaviour, domestic abuse and managing high risk arson offenders in order to protect the public.

“Every day is different. One day I could be responding to high-risk arson threat referrals from police colleagues and partners and providing target hardening.

“The next day I could be collating and inputting arson data on to various systems to record and map hotspot areas of deliberate fires.

“I work closely with local fire crews, fire investigators, police colleagues and partners to problem solve and raise awareness of local arson issues and provide arson reduction and fire safety advice.

“Delivering arson prevention advice to schools and working with children and young people who have an unhealthy fascination with fire or who have set deliberate fires is also a key aspect of my role.

“I love the fact that no two days are the same. The work is extremely varied. I especially enjoy working across both police and fire services and the diversity and opportunity to work in partnership that it brings as well as sharing working practices, problem solving, learning new skills, and having the opportunity to experience the day-to-day work of both organisations.

“I have worked with children and young people for more than 24 years in varying capacities and since joining Northamptonshire Police I am fortunate to have been given the opportunity to lead on the Northamptonshire County Schools Challenge, which allows me to continue to have a positive impact on young people.

“The challenge is a fantastic way to encourage young people to discuss and create innovative ideas to address local issues within our community and the theme for 2022/2023 was deliberate fire setting which supported the work of the ATF. It also encouraged schools to discuss the risks and consequences and raise awareness of the dangers and the impact that deliberate fire setting can have on them, the community, the environment, and the emergency services.

“In August 2021 I completed Fire Behaviour Training with Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) and had the opportunity to be involved in a simulated fire exercise wearing full breathing apparatus to enable me to have a better understanding of fire and the effects it can have on firefighters when attending these types of incidents. This was a great experience, something I never thought I would have the opportunity to do.

“The ATF is a partnership between police and fire with only two members. We cover the whole of Northamptonshire which can often mean that my capacity can be stretched.

“The role can be unpredictable and at times challenging depending on the nature of the referrals that we receive and also during seasonality peaks, such as warmer weather and school holidays, where we tend to see an increase in deliberate fire setting which in turn increases our workload.

“When I first joined it was a challenge having to learn and understand my role in the context of working across police and fire. I also had to learn the work of both the organisations including the relevant legislation, terminology, the systems used by both services and the role of the specific departments that support the work of the ATF.

“Despite working with vulnerable people for the majority of my working career, I was surprised to learn how many people were victims of arson and also the number of deliberate fires that take place and the issues they present not just across the county but also nationally.

“I have always had an interest in working in the public sector. I get a lot of satisfaction in helping people and feel that I have many transferable skills that I can utilise within this role. My keen interest in fire and crime scene investigation makes this role perfect for me.”

Sara Townsend, Prevention Manager and Kelly’s supervisor, said: “Kelly is in quite an unusual position as she works so closely with NFRS to help reduce arson across the County. She has gained skills from a huge range of experience in her career which aids all the work that she’s involved in. Kelly’s ability to communicate to different audiences, engaging with them to achieve positive outcomes is a real strength area. She is a positive role model with strong values who commits time and energy not only in work time but as a volunteer too, working with the Northamptonshire Emergency Service Cadets.”

To find out more about a Crime Prevention role and to view all our current vacancies, please use the link below.