Guernsey's Chief of Police shares three year plan

Friday, 12 September 2025 08:35

Guernsey's new Chief of Police has outlined his three-year plan to improve the safety and security of the Bailiwick.

Guernsey Police's Strategic Delivery Plan for 2025 to 2028 has been prepared by Chief Officer Damian Kitchen, who moved to Guernsey in November 2024.

The three-year plan has five pillars:

• Neighbourhood policing and community engagement
• Putting victims first
• Public safety
• Bringing offenders to justice
• Highest standards of policing

Mr Kitchen says these priorities will help keep people safe.

"People do strategies in different ways.

"I always think that if you can just be really clear about the big headlines around why we come to work, it just helps us focus and helps us hold ourselves to account.

"Victims are really important. Bringing offenders to justice is important. [So too,] Being engaged, listening to and talking to the community, behaving with the utmost high standards, having the best training and ultimately, people being confident in the police service."

Mr Kitchen says he will hold his staff accountable and work to deliver the highest standards of policing with this plan.

"Part of it is measurable outcomes, such as a reduction in road traffic accidents, a reduction in antisocial behaviour, etcetera.

"But a big part of it is also the feedback that the public gives us on how they are feeling.

"This is a three-year plan, because you’ve got to put a time limit for a review on plans, but it doesn’t mean to say we can’t amend and tweak it as we move forward."

He says the nature of crime is changing, as artificial intelligence develops, and more online offences occur.

Mr Kitchen says the force needs to invest more in technology and training.

"There’s nothing that we deal with that doesn’t have a technological footprint on it, so it is a challenge.

"It does cost money, but it’s about us being ahead of the curve."