Proactive orders enforcement team (POET)

The proactive orders enforcement team (POET) aims to provide Essex Police with the capability and capacity to manage and identify opportunity to disrupt offenders before they offend. POET seeks to achieve this aim by: 

• providing the force with a central point of contact for expert advice and support in the application and enforcement of orders
• identifying where application of orders may assist in protecting vulnerable persons, reducing violence in all forms and bringing offenders to justice, with a specific focus on violence against women and girls (VAWG)
• managing existing orders
• providing technological support in the management and enforcement of orders

The intended outcomes of POET are:

• mitigating and managing the risk around sexual and violent offenders, preventing further offending
• proactive monitoring around breaches of orders
• provision of clear audits of orders – ‘who, what, when, why’
• provision of a professional and holistic service to victims

The POET was established in Essex Police in September 2022. It was created as part of action taken by the force following the identification of missed opportunities in a domestic homicide review.

The team consists of one detective sergeant and five detective constables who have come from a variety of backgrounds within operational policing. The police uplift programme enabled the resourcing for this team.         

The team has several core roles relating to providing advice and support in the enforcement and application of all civil and criminal orders. These include:

• identifying owners and units of responsibility for civil order actions
• providing support to the multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) process – especially around applying and enforcing civil orders and tracking any actions from this process
• providing a link between MAPPA and other areas of business
• supporting the management of sexual or violent offenders (MOSOVO), providing a proactive capability to management of sexual harm prevention orders (SHPO).
• providing enforcement action for serious crime prevention order nominals
• providing enforcement and monitoring capability for violent offenders
• providing an overview of exposure and voyeurism offences (pre-cursor offending) with the intention of establishing opportunities around applying for orders to prevent further offending

The team operate using SARA (scanning, analysis, response, assessment) tactics to look for patterns and hot spots to disrupt offenders. 

• An accurate and usable database has been created of all nominals subject to civil enforcement within Essex.
• A trained, experienced and confident team, able to provide expert advice and support in the enforcement and application of all available civil and criminal orders.
• There has been an increase in the application of orders heard in the courts.
• The tracking of solved rate outcomes following arrest.

A post implementation review of the team is currently underway. This review will seek to identify learning from the establishment of the proactive orders enforcement team. However, the team has already identified the following.

• There was a lack of knowledge around preventative orders across the force. Continued professional development (CPD) events and briefings have been completed to address this.
• Dedicated resource is needed to establish the proactive orders enforcement team. In particular, someone needs to establish the terms of reference and job description of key roles. In Essex Police this role is conducted by a detective inspector. 
• It is important to protect the specialist role and resource of the POET team as much as possible, especially if the team is small and bespoke.