A BRIERLEY Hill police officer has been nominated for a national award.

PC Antonia Morgan and her colleagues on the Brierley Hill Neighbourhood Policing Team reduced reports of anti-social behaviour relating to a group of young offenders by 100 per cent over a five-month period.

As a result, she has been nominated for a national Police Now Alumni Impact Award.

When Antonia joined the neighbourhood team in November 2022, anti-social behaviour was at an all-time high with a group of young offenders accused of harassing store workers, throwing bricks at windows, shoplifting and criminal damage.

Thanks to significant research and community partnership work to collate evidence, Antonia was able to identify the perpetrators and successfully bid for more CCTV in hotspot areas.

She also worked with High Street business owners to encourage reporting and improve preventative measures.

Young perpetrators were issued with Community Protection Warnings and given opportunities to break away from the cycle of crime and change their behaviour.

When the low-level offending of three individuals escalated to violent assault and robbery, Antonia swiftly identified and arrested them thanks to her research and engagement work.

As a result, reports of anti-social behaviour relating to the group dropped by 100 per cent over a five-month period.

There were 25 reports relating to the group between July and November 2023 compared to zero reports between November 2023 and May 2024. Since then, reports have remained consistently low, with only one recorded report of anti-social behaviour relating to the group since May.

PC Antonia Morgan, who joined West Midlands Police via Police Now’s National Graduate Leadership Programme, said: “Anti-social behaviour has a significant impact on the quality of life for local residents and businesses, with store workers and community members subject to abuse, disruption, harassment and criminality.

“A big part of this work was community engagement and increasing the visibility of the neighbourhood team, with increased patrols and partnership working. Where the young perpetrators showed an unwillingness to engage with the police or change their behaviour, a zero-tolerance approach was taken. Violent behaviour is completely unacceptable and serious incidents will be dealt with robustly.

“I am pleased by the progress we have made to reduce anti-social behaviour across the area but we know the work is always ongoing to tackle anti-social behaviour and ensure residents feel safe.

“I am also humbled by the Police Now award nomination and the support I’ve received throughout the programme and from my colleagues on the neighbourhood policing team – it’s certainly been a team effort.”

Dudley Police partnerships manager Inspector Sarah Long said: “This work by Antonia and her team, alongside Dudley Partnerships department, has made a dramatic difference in the local community. The feedback has been really positive from residents, professionals and schools alike and it shows that taking a methodical approach to problem solving gets results.”

Antonia joined West Midlands Police via Police Now’s National Graduate Leadership Programme, a two-year neighbourhood policing programme which recruits, trains and supports talented graduates to cut crime and build public confidence in policing.

Police Now’s Alumni Impact Awards celebrate the achievements of officers nationally who have graduated from one of Police Now’s programmes and have gone above and beyond to reduce or solve crimes, problem-solve in their communities, or innovate and lead within policing.

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in October.