Chief Superintendent Nev Kemp, took up his new post as the city’s Divisional Commander in April this year. A Brightonian born and bred, Nev Kemp is a family man with 17 years service with the force. He joined Sussex Police in 1995 as a constable and his meteoric rise through the ranks has included being Head of Crime Investigations Brighton & Hove and Head of the Force Protecting Vulnerable People Branch.
From an LGBT perspective the appointment of a new Chief Superintendent is always critical as it sets the ‘tone’ of the command team at Sussex Police. The previous Chief Superintendent, Graham Bartlett was a moderniser within the police and someone who understood and supported the force’s diversity and equality agenda. For all the communities of interest it is important that this modernising agenda continues and most importantly that Sussex Police listen, use and adopt the expertise that has developed since they created dedicated LGBT Police Liaison roles in 2006.
At the time of his appointment in April, Chief Superintendent Kemp said:
“This is without doubt the highlight of my career so far but I also know it will be the most challenging thing I have done. From a policing perspective I love the diversity, innovation and buzz of Brighton & Hove; you have to deal with just about everything. For me it’s like coming home – having been posted here as a sergeant in 2000. The last five years I’ve been in detective roles but I’m really looking forward to getting back into uniform and getting out and about with officers and meeting the local community.
“I’ve inherited an amazing team of officers and staff with a strong sense of identity and team spirit and this is one of the reasons I am so enthusiastic about my new role. But it goes beyond just the police and includes many partnership teams, successfully set up by my predecessor, Chief Superintendent, Graham Bartlett. The division could not operate effectively in almost any area now, without strong partnership working and this is something I want to continue to develop and make stronger still.”
I asked him how he thought Sussex Police were doing with their diversity agenda.
He said:
“When I first came into the police there were no openly gay officers. Some colleagues might have been suspected, but no one was ‘out’. I look at where we are now, especially in Brighton & Hove where we have many ‘out’ officers in all ranks, and just think at the enormity of the progress. I want my gay officers to feel comfortable and supported not only by the force but by me personally.
“This year I am the Gold Commander at Brighton Pride. Unless there is a serious operation problem on the day, I will be marching on the LGBT Community Parade with my officers. Some people might say it is just tokenism, but for me it is really important. I will feel really proud to march as will my officers.
“The gay community brings so much to the city and their presence here creates a special vibe that helps make Brighton & Hove the special city it is. Last year I took my daughters to Pride and they loved it.
“It is my role to make sure that everyone who comes to Pride is safe and enjoys themselves all weekend. I personally think the street party is brilliant and have been involved in it out on the ground in the past as the Silver Commander. Sussex Police is fully supportive of the street party but have to balance that against any potential safety and disorder issues. It costs us a great deal of money to police the event but we are 100% committed to doing it.”
Nev Kemp is a moderniser within the police and is driven by old school principles of public service.
“From my early teens I knew that I wanted to work in the public sector and try and make a difference. This desire was definitely influenced by my father, who although British, volunteered to fight for America in the Vietnam War. He spent three years there, was shot down twice and awarded the Silver Star and years later he wrote and published a book about his experiences. He is certainly someone who has inspired me and is very proud of the career path that I’ve chosen.”
First and foremost he believes in partnership working and thinks it is quite appropriate for people to challenge and question, so long as it is done constructively. However, he was genuinely surprised when I suggested that there was a perception that through their partnership working with the City Council many people thought the police had surrendered too much of their independence to the bureaucrats.
On future plans for policing the city, he said:
“I would of course like to see overall crime drop and for people to feel safe going about their daily business irrespective of what time of the day it is. But I would also like to see more of certain crimes reported to us because at present we know we don’t get to know the full picture. First amongst these are sexual offences and domestic abuse. Work is already underway in Sussex Police looking at how we can redesign our teams and introduce specialist investigators for serious sexual offences.
“Violent crime linked to alcohol in public places will always be a challenge, and even though Brighton & Hove is generally a safe place, incidents of this type can be so damaging. I am pleased with the approach the council is taking in looking at this and I am also keen we do all we can to work with them and local businesses to make the city even safer still.
“I have some ideas that I think will improve the way we police the city but I know that my team at Brighton have many more and I want to make sure that my management team and I tap into that – I’m hoping to be in the post for a good few years that will allow me to do just this.”
And how does he relax outside of work?
“Everyone needs something to help them switch off from work and besides my two teenage daughters and my wife, I have to tend to our four chickens, one cat, two gerbils and a very energetic dalmatian dog that we rescued two years ago. I also try to find time for gardening, which includes a small vegetable plot.”
To help relax and stay in shape he took up running a few years ago and completed the inaugural Brighton Marathon running for the Alzheimer’s Society. He ran the half marathon again this year. He is a Brighton & Hove Albion supporter and although not a season ticket holder enjoys taking his daughters to see matches when he is not working.
Nev Kemp is passionate about politics and current affairs and his favourite television programme is Have I Got News For You. His favourite film of all time is Into The Wild, a true story directed by Sean Penn. He dislike bullies and those who abuse their position of power and authority. He gets sad about anything to do with human suffering, particularly where children are concerned. “As a boy, I was in the scouts and had a wonderful leader who taught me lots about public service as well as how to tie a knot!”
Over the years I have seen the LGBT community’s relationship with Sussex Police have highs and lows. When I chaired the LGBT Community Safety Forum between 2002 and 2005, the LGBT community received a different service to mainstream Brighton residents, an inferior service. We were policed differently. Through the modernisation implemented from 2006-10 I have no doubt that we now not only receive a better service, but dare I say it, the same services as everyone else. And that’s how it should be.
There is always room for improvement, but with the cuts the police are taking people’s expectations need to be realistic. Reporting mechanisms are in place to help. If you are the victim of a homophobic attack, report it no matter how small the incident is. Only by people reporting all incidents can an overall picture be created by the police. We will continue to get some bad news stories but that’s how it happens in the modern police force. Most times they get it right, sometimes they get it wrong. Most importantly Chief Superintendent Kemp is a pragmatist, he is a listener and understands the ‘LGBT stuff’. That’s as good as it gets.
If you are the victim of a crime dial 999 or 101 if it is not urgent.
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