Protecting the vulnerable important to new Doncaster police chief - thought to be first woman in the job

Now she has one of the force’s biggest jobs – and is thought to be the first female Doncaster district commander, having just taken over from the retiring Shaun Morley.

She said: “People have asked me if I’m the first woman to command the district. I can’t say definitively but I don’t personally recall a previous female Doncaster District Commander. What I would say is that we have seen a significant increase in the female representation at command level in the force in the last few years.

"I think it’s great to see more women progress through the organisation and I think it reflects positive changes in terms of management of the workforce and opportunities for all staff, especially in areas like part time and flexible working, career breaks and other policies to support primary carers, and in the main, women remain the primary carers of children.

"But with regards to leadership style, that will always depend on the skills and personality of the individual, not gender.”

Joining the force in 1992, Chief Superintendent Palin became a detective, spending several years as a detective sergeant in Doncaster, where she has lived for 20 years.

She has also served as force lead for firearms and public order.

A detective by trade, she is passionate about protecting vulnerable members of the community, another area where she has previously been in charge for the whole of the force. It includes issues like hate crime, domestic abuse and child exploitation.

She said: "I think it’s a really important area of business. It includes community based vulnerabilities that people don’t always think of. Some of our vulnerable people may be struggling with emotional or mental health issues, or there could be issues that affect communities as a whole, such as repeat victims of crime and antisocial behaviour.

“But I’m also keen to work in partnership to improve people’s personal vision – how they see what their own future looks like.

“In some of our communities people have a limited view of what their options could be in the future. I’m keen to work in partnership to show them that there are opportunities out there, and work with them, whether that is about deprivation or people being drawn to criminality, to show them that there is another path, and I think that can apply for both communities and individuals.

"As we go into the inevitable austerity again, I think some of the challenges will increase. I think in the last few months we’ve seen a lot of issues in terms of large companies going into liquidation which will lead to job losses and will impact on levels of unemployment.

"Some of the work will be about breaking cycles in domestic abuse, alcohol misuse, neglect, and taking a whole family approach towards breaking cycles. I want the people of Doncaster to look at what is the best they can become.

"Doncaster is a great place with great communities. Our staff are committed to serving the people of Doncaster and all I expect is that they come to work and do their best for victims and communities and do their best to make Doncaster a better place.

"Having worked as a detective sergeant here I feel I know the place well, in a way I may not have done had I only been a commander here, I know it with an understanding working on the front line gives you.”

Ch Supt Palin is also aware of organised crime in the borough.

She said: “I’m keen to tackle that and its impact on local communities. Some of that goes back to the choices that some people make and the perceived lack of alternative opportunities. It has an impact on the community. Organised criminals may use vulnerable people to facilitate their criminality, by operating out of their homes, or storing items there as a safe house. We have a number of organised crime groups across Doncaster. I see this as one of the key areas of work. I want people to feel safer in their communities. I also want them to feel confident in reporting to the police.”

She takes over while the force is dealing with issues thrown up by the coronavirus pandemic as well as crime.

“Covid is a big issue and we have seen various interventions from Government,” she said. “We have to balance enforcement with retaining our relationship with the public and retaining their confidence. I think it’s really important that people remain vigilant about Covid and act to protect each other.”

In the future, there are issues she wants to address, including domestic abuse. She is concerned Doncaster has higher levels of the problem than other areas and says people from a background where it was prevalent are more likely to be involved as victim or offender in later life. She wants to break the cycle and improve outcomes with a ‘whole family and perpetrator’ model.

She said: “When you look at it, we often look at safeguarding the victim. I want to develop structures where we also do more around the perpetrator presenting the risk. Stopping the offender often has a greater impact than just looking after the victim. If you can stop the offender, it is more effective in the long term, as they will not abuse more victims in the future.

"I also want to look at burglary, as we realise we are an outlier in relation to burglary, and we’re keen to tackle that, and make sure we have fewer victims.

"I’m really keen to progress our local neighbourhoods model through our neighbourhood teams to improve outcomes for our communities.”

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