What is your highlight/greatest achievement of Checkpoint so far?
There are so many. The Checkpoint team winning the Howard League for Penal Reform community award in 2016, Cabinet officials requesting a briefing on Checkpoint, Latin American, African and Caribbean country Members of Parliament speaking highly of the Checkpoint scheme, publication of the Checkpoint pilot phase evaluation in an academic article.
But above all, the greatest achievement is all the individual success stories. Hearing about how the scheme has changed people’s lives from the individuals themselves and from their families is really rewarding. Because regardless of the statistics, Checkpoint is about making a difference.
What top three pieces of advice you would give to areas setting up their own scheme?
- Learn from others who have gone through the process of setting up similar schemes
- Adapt it to your local needs
- Communicate your plans early on to ensure partner and leadership buy-in
What are your plans/ambitions for Checkpoint going forward?
Our ambition is to influence UK policing and government policy so that the scheme is replicated across all police forces in the UK. Any other international police force would be a bonus!
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