20/08/2026
Neighbourhood Policing | Tackling shoplifters, clocking up 11 miles on patrol and pushing a broken-down minibus of children out of a busy junction – that’s all in a day’s work for PC Stuart Hind.
PC Hind is part of the Chesterfield town centre Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT), he’s been a police officer for more than two decades and has worked on the frontline in response and local teams for the majority of his service.
PC Hind said: “I’ve always wanted to be out and about, talking to people and helping solve the issues they’re having. I enjoy working in other teams that are more desk based as part of overtime to keep those skills sharp, but being on the frontline is always where I’ve always been.”
☀️ We joined PC Hind on a hot July day shift, with his duty beginning at 8am and finishing at 7pm. He’s in early and after some time catching up on emails, updating incidents and getting information about what’s happened in the area overnight, he heads out on patrol with PC Chris Knights.
Two steps out of the police station, he’s stopped by a member of the public who has found a driving license and bank card. PC Hind looks up the details of the owners and contacts them to arrange pick up.
Heading into Chesterfield, stopping briefly to give a van driver directions, the officers chat to business owners opening up in the busy town centre.
SNT officers in Chesterfield carry two radios – their normal police issued radio, and a bright yellow ShopWatch radio, which connects them with shops across the town, council public protection officers and the CCTV control room. Throughout the day, it’s clear this is a valuable line of communication for all involved.
After patrolling the town centre, the officers head along Chatsworth Road. A Public Spaces Protection Order prohibits actions that can lead to anti-social behaviour in the area, such as drinking alcohol in public, loitering to beg for money and leaving belongings unattended.
The officers visit a local shop which has been asked not to sell single cans of strong alcohol to those causing issues, reminding them of a previous conversation with a licensing officer and of an upcoming meeting to formalise the agreement.
Shortly after leaving the shop, they encounter a man drinking a strong can of alcohol. They know him and explain the PSPO conditions whilst tipping away the drink. He becomes hostile and moves away from the shop entrance, which the staff describe as a relief following issues caused by him earlier in the morning.
PC Hind said: “These people drinking, it causes issues for them, the local businesses and those trying to visit the area. We understand the wider causes of these issues, which is why there are support options in place, and we’re working with shops to stop strong alcohol being sold like this. But we still need to impose the conditions of the PSPO to stop further issues happening.”
🚓 PC Hind and PC Knight then walk over to a house whose residents have been causing issues for the neighbours, they check in with those inside and spot a man wanted for shoplifting at the property. He’s arrested and searched, before being transported to custody by PC Knight and another SNT officer.
PC Hind continues his patrol, taking away more alcohol that someone was drinking in the street. He then responds to a report of a minibus that has broken down in the central lane of a busy junction. He directs traffic around the bus before helping to push it to a safer spot with other officers.
PC Hind then visits a local retail park, speaking to shop security and managers about any concerns whilst taking advantage of the available air con. He takes a short break in a café, chatting to staff and customers whilst using his Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) to update incidents, log intelligence and much more.
After checking in with more businesses on the retail parks, as well as collecting CCTV and completing a witness statement for a recent shoplifting incident, PC Hind returns to the police station to eat lunch whilst saving and tagging body worn video footage. He also speaks to a victim and offender, booking in interviews to progress investigations on his workload.
🚨 Heading back on patrol into the town, we get an alert on the ShopWatch radio of a potential shoplifting in progress. The shop’s loss prevention officer monitors the CCTV, waiting to confirm if a woman pays for items she’s placed in her bag. She doesn’t, and PC Hind and PC Bartup stop her as she heads to her car. She admits to stealing more than £80 worth of goods, which are returned to the shop. It’s a first time offence, so she is referred to our ‘out of court team’ which will offer remedial options without criminalising her.
The officers then patrol a local park before speaking to local businesses on Chatsworth Road about local issues and how best to report them. They continue to patrol the area, stopping to check places where they know drug taking and problem behaviour can occur. At a local park, they wake up and disperse a group who are drinking and causing problem behaviour. PC Hind disposes of the rubbish around the group, identifying those involved and advises them to go home or to a local shelter.
Whilst PC Bartup goes to log the details of the shoplifting incident, PC Hind continues to walk through the town centre, seeing some familiar faces and stopping to catch up with the locals.
He then responds to a report from our control room. Two people have reported children on the roof of an abandoned building in the town centre. Arriving at the property quickly, he stops and speaks to the two teenagers involved, reminding them of the dangers of the building and the reason for the fence. He takes their details but is confident a warning is enough on this occasion.
At 5pm, he heads back to the station. With two hours left of his shift, he’s clocked up 11 miles on patrol and more than 26,000 steps so far.
PC Hind says: “I like to be out and about on patrol, of course it’s not always possible as I have ongoing investigations, victims to update and evidence to gather, but getting out like this is why I’m an officer. I speak to adults now that I dealt with when they were children – they recognise me and thankfully often say that I was ‘alright’! I’ve worked in the wider area for a long while and take pride in getting to know the businesses and people on my patch.”
It’s been a busy, hot day – especially for someone wearing a heavy protective vest and other police kit. But when asked by a member of public about retirement, PC Hind replies: “If I can just keep getting out and about like this, I’d be happy for to keep going another twenty years!”
