Revealed: Britain's most prolific police officer (who's made 1,000 arrests in 18 months)

 

 

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 2:10 PM on 15th October 2009

 

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One good cop: Sergeant Ali Livingstone, of Suffolk Police, has made more than 1,000 arrests over the last 18 months

 

A police sergeant has made more than 1,000 arrests in the past 18 months - making him Britain's most effective police officer.

Sergeant Ali Livingstone made 524 arrests between April 2008 and March 2009 - an amazing 2.2 arrests per working day.

 

Since January, Sgt Livingstone has already notched up 610 collars, making him the UK's policeman with the highest arrest rate.

If he reaches 800 arrests, which he is on target for, his arrest rate will shoot up to more than three-a-day.

 

The average arrest rate for officers in England and Wales is just nine a year, according to a report by the Institute of Public Policy Research.

 

Sgt Livingstone, a response officer for Suffolk Police, told respected industry magazine Police Review today that the key to arresting people was simply 'going out on the beat'.

 

The 27-year-old sergeant, dubbed 'Supercop' and 'arrest machine' by colleagues in Ipswich, revealed some of the secrets behind his prolific arrest rate.

 

Sgt Livingstone, who is single with no children, said: 'The best advice I can give is to get to know the community.

 

'Talk to people like local authority CCTV operators, store detectives and others.

 

'All these people are the people who can provide you with help and information. Get to know criminals, even when you are not dealing with them.

'Take the time to go down to custody and talk to people. That can make a big difference, because you never know when your paths might cross again.

 

'And do not be afraid to talk to people - We are paid to be suspicious.'

 

He added: 'Keep busy. It is very easy to stay in the office all day. But it is important to get out and about. If people need to contact you, they will.'

 

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Sgt Livingstone, who received a Royal Humane Society award after saving a suicidal man from jumping from a nine-storey car park in dramatic footage caught on CCTV in August 2008, also said 'getting in early to work' was a key part of his success.

 

He said: 'I start most shifts an hour or so before I commence duty.

 

'This gives me a chance to research crimes and outstanding offenders and also get up to speed with what is going on.

 

'It is probably the most productive hour as it gives me a chance to get things organised and plan out the team's day as much as possible.

 

'I normally make one or two arrests every day, but on a busy day there will be eight or nine per shift.

 

Bravery: PC Ali Maidment (top) reaches down and grabs a suicidal man who is dangling precariously from a tall building. Sergeant Ali Livingstone (below) then races to join his colleague and save the man from almost certain death

 

 

 

 

'I do get to the end of the shift sometimes and wonder where the time has gone.'

 

Sgt Livingstone, who joined the force aged 18 and has lived in Ipswich all his life, said it was rare for a sergeant to be at the top of the arrest list.

 

He has endured broken fingers and feet and numerous punches to the face in the line of his duty, but says it has all been worth it.

 

Normally police constables are seen as the 'ground troops' of policing who are expected to handle the majority of the collars - but Sgt Livingstone disagrees.

 

He said: 'I lead from the front and set an example and I find that rubs off on people.

 

'I really enjoy my job. I have tried a few other things, firearms, and was the chief constable's staff officer, which was an honour, but I always come back to response because that is the job I love to do.

 

'There is always so much going on - people out on warrant, warrants for prison recall - and because I have been lucky enough to work in the same area for several years, I know people and I recognise faces.'

 

Sgt Livingstone's identity was revealed after Police Review sent a request to all forces under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, asking for the name, rank, role and station of the officer that made the most arrests between April 2008 and March 2009.

 

A total of 34 forces named their top police officers, with Nottinghamshire Police taking second place, with an officer who wanted to remain anonymous making 393 arrests in a year.

 

Cumbria Police force has the third ranking police officer - PC Mac Maguire who made 250 arrests in 12 months.

 

The vast majority of top officers listed were PCs in response and patrol policing, but there were a handful of neighbourhood officers, two sergeants and a lone traffic officer, topping the charts.

David Davies, Conservative MP for Monmouth, a member of the Home Office Select Committee, and a Special Constable, congratulated Sgt Livingstone on his 'outstanding' efforts.

 

Mr Davies said: 'I think that all of us would want to send our warmest congratulations to Sgt Livingstone.

'He has made an outstanding contribution to making the streets of his town safer.

'I think we should do everything we can to encourage other officers to follow his lead.'

 

Simon Ash, chief constable of Suffolk Police, described Sgt Livingstone's courage in helping save a suicidal man.

 

He said: 'I watched the CCTV footage after the event and my heart was in my mouth.

 

'For a total of four minutes these officers held the full body weight of a struggling man hanging over the edge of a multi-storey car park without consideration for their own safety.

 

'They truly had the man's life in their hands. To have held on for so long under such difficult and dangerous circumstances until help could arrive shows absolutely amazing strength and courage.'

 

Matt Gould, the chairman of Suffolk Police Federation, paid tribute to Sgt Livingstone's achievements, saying: 'I have never known anyone in their service who is more dedicated to the organisation.

 

'He lives and breathes the force. He has been an inspiration to his team. Quite often, when people are promoted to sergeant, they do not need to make arrests any more - they encourage their team to do it instead.

 

'But Ali really leads from the front. He does not need to make the arrests, but has always wanted to be a police officer on the ground, making arrests and if he is capable of being a leader and he wants to make the arrests, why should he not?

 

Superintendent David Skevington, operations manager for Ipswich, added: 'Ali's contribution to the policing of Ipswich is tremendous.

 

'He is a highly dedicated and enthusiastic officer. His arrests are not only for crimes committed but are also for forensic hits, recalls to prison and court warrants.'

Sgt Livingstone's arrest rate of 2.2 per working day, does not take into account any weekends off or annual leave.

 

For the period between April 2008 and March 2009 it is estimated that Sgt Livingstone would have worked around 240 days after taking into account two days off a week and annual leave.

Sgt Livingstone's top tips to help police improve arrest rates:

 

1) Get to know criminals, even when you're not dealing with them. Take the time to go down to custody and look at people, talk to them, get to know them. That can make a big difference because you never know when your paths might cross again.

2) Keep busy. It's easy to stay in the office all day but it's important to get out and about. If you are waiting by the phone because you're expecting a colleague or member of the public to call, remember there are lots of ways people can get hold of you.

 

3) Police officers have to be confident about the power they have. Know those powers and use them. There is a lot of new legislation coming out all the time but people either don't learn about them or learn them and forget them. If you're confident about them and use them, you will up your arrest rates.

 

4) Get to know the community. Talk to CCTV operators, store detectives and others who can provide help and information. If someone is wanted, talk to people that work with them, their family and ask for information. Sometimes people think that if they knock on a door and they're not there, that's it. But it's not the case.

 

5) Don't be afraid to talk to people. Last week someone gestured and swore at me. I went to talk to them, just to get to know them and find out what he was about. You need to know what is going on on the street - you never know when it might pay off talking to someone like that. We are paid to be suspicious.

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1220546/Revealed-The-countrys-supercop-sergeant-1-000-arrests-just-18-months.html#ixzz0U0msvaFY

I hope they were meaningful arrests, not stupid little ones.

I hope they were meaningful arrests, not stupid little ones.

 

I very much doubt it. Probably for littering, cycling through parks, walking on the cracks in the pavement and having an "offensive wife".:lol: