The Rutland and Leicestershire Police have shared their highlights from 2022.

Hear from the team below as they recount their successes as we heading into 2023:

A lot has happened in force over the last 12 months:

• We received nearly 200,000 calls to 999 and more than 300,000 to 101
• We received 36,000 reports online
• We received more than 3,300 reports of missing people
• We created more than 245,000 reports and recorded more than 110,000 crimes
• We made more than 14,000 arrests
• Our vehicles travelled a combined total of more than three million miles

January saw us join forces up and down the country taking part in Neighbourhood Policing Week, with officers visiting schools, using knife arches in key locations and hold beat surgeries. Among the success stories was the discovery of 300 cannabis plants – worth around £190,000 – from a residential address in Leicester. A 39-year-old man was subsequently charged.

Image courtesy of Leicestershire Police.

There was also good work from Leicestershire and Northamptonshire's Rural Policing Teams who – working together - recovered £150,000 worth of stolen plant machinery from an area of land in Desborough.

Elsewhere, Sergeant Mike Hooper and PC Steve Quartermain both visited Windsor Castle where they each received the Queen's Gallantry Medal in recognition of their bravery following the helicopter crash outside the King Power Stadium in October 2018.

In court, Chay Bowskill and Rocco Sansome were sentenced for the kidnap of 19-year-old Angel Lynn in September 2020.

February saw Superintendent Manjit Atwal receive the Civil Servant of the Year Award for her service to our communities and her wider work in force at the British Sikh Awards.

We were also presented with a gold award from Stonewall – the world's second-largest LGBTQ+ charity – for its commitment to inclusion of lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer people in the workplace. Leicestershire Police was ranked 34th within the Top 100 Employers List out of over 400 that applied.

In court, Omer Nur was found guilty of the murder of Usman Patel in Green Lane Road, Evington, on 18 July 2021.

It was with great sadness in March that the force announced the death of former Chief Constable Simon Cole.

Mr Cole, who was 55, grew up in Leicestershire and began his policing career in the West Midlands, before returning to take up the role of Chief Constable of Leicestershire in 2010.

The force also took part in County Lines Intensification Week, with nearly 40 warrants being executed across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. More than 60 people were arrested, while safeguarding visits were made to more than 50 vulnerable people during the national week of action.

Following an investigation by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), seven men were jailed for a total of more than 50 years at Leicester Crown Court for attempts to smuggle guns into Leicester from London and Manchester.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) rated the force as 'outstanding' in three key areas in a report released in April.

We received the rating for the areas of prevention and deterrence, protecting vulnerable people and recording crime. Four other areas were rated as good and two as adequate.

Supported by the Force Priority Team, officers from the Economic Crime Unit (ECU) executed warrants at 15 addresses across Leicestershire in a bid to identify those responsible for fraud and exploiting vulnerable individuals.

In court, a 32-year-old man was jailed for two years for causing serious injury to PC Steve Clarke, who was struck when cycling home from a shift during the early hours of 25 July 2020.

May saw the launch of the Police Dog Retirement Scheme (PDRS) – an initiative set up to ensure our four-legged crime-fighters continue living a happy and healthy life when their working days come to an end.

Image courtesy of Leicestershire Police.

We also recovered more than 320 knives, arrested 25 people and carried out scores of knife sweeps and test purchasing operations as we took part in Operation Sceptre – a national week of action targeting knife crime.

It was also revealed the force received more than 80,000 999 calls between November 2021 and April 2022 – an average of nearly 13,500 a month. The data also revealed that nearly 90 per cent of the calls were answered under the Home Office's target time of 10 seconds.

At Leicester Crown Court, Renaldo Baptiste and Jeffery Carew were both sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Anand Parmar, while Jurrat Khan was jailed for manslaughter.

In June, nearly 30 police cadets descended on the Lake District, splitting into teams to tackle the peaks of Outerside, Barrow and Stile End for the tenth anniversary of the Light the Lakes challenge. The event, which sees representatives from the force take part every year, raises funds for the Care of Police Survivors (COPS) – a charity dedicated to helping the families of police officers who have lost their lives while on duty.

Image courtesy of Leicestershire Police.

In court, Kym Aley was jailed for 30 months after he pleaded guilty to a string of drugs and driving offences. In an attempt to evade arrest, Aley used his car to ram police vehicles and also drove at 80mph in areas where the speed limit was 30mph.

It was also revealed that Detective Constable Sarah Le Boutillier was to receive the International Women in Policing (IAWP) Detection and Prevention of Violence Against Women Award for her involvement in Operation Serial – an investigation into slavery and trafficking offences involving more than 100 multi-agency officers.

July saw us take part in ASB Awareness Week – a national campaign to unite local communities and organisations and make the force area a safer place. During the week, our local neighbourhood teams took part in community engagement events, beat surgeries and carry out hotspot patrols in areas where ASB was seen as a concern.

The team tackling rural crime across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland also expanded from three to eight officers, with a new 4x4 Ford Ranger provided to help them patrol off-road and in other rural areas.

Image courtesy of Leicestershire and Rutland Police.

Our force football team were also crowned pride of the Midlands after beating Nottinghamshire Police 1-1 to win the Combined Midland Police League.

The first weekend in August was a busy one for our officers, with teams of officers in Leicester helping to keep crowds at both the Caribbean Carnival and Rathayatra – the Hindu festival of chariots – safe. This also coincided with Leicester City hosting Brentford in their season opener at the King Power Stadium.

In court, 15 people were given football banning orders totalling 70 years following disorder before Leicester City's game with Napoli in September 2021. As a result of the charges being made, we were able to request money from the United Kingdom Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) – and £16,500 was obtained which will be reinvested back into preventing and tackling crime.

Five men were also sentenced to more than 25 years in prison for a number of drugs offences following the success of Operation Impose enforcement action last year.

Flag were lowered to half-mast in September as we, along with the nation, mourned the death of Her Majesty The Queen.

Teams of officers also carried out a series of nightly policing patrols in East Leicester following numerous reports of disorder. A number of meetings were also held with senior community leaders to ensure a unified, co-ordinated approach to the issue was undertaken. Extra officers were also deployed to ensure those celebrating Diwali and Navratri could do so safely.

The month also saw the first two episodes of Fresh Cops – a documentary following a handful of our officers across a range of shifts over a four-week period – air in BBC Three and iPlayer.

Image courtesy of BBC and Leicestershire and Rutland Police.

In October Rob Nixon – then Temporary Chief Constable – met with His Royal Highness King Charles and the Queen Consort and around 300 members of the British South Asian community at a reception in Edinburgh. As well as recognising the contributions made to the country, His Majesty took the opportunity to discuss the disorder the previous month.

At our force headquarters in Enderby, officers from the Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU) welcomed guest speakers and colleagues from other organisations to discuss female genital mutilation and commit to working together to safeguard those at risk of harm.

In court, Dinato Rizzi was jailed for 20 years after being found guilty of 13 sexual offences against a young girl. The victim's mother released a statement after he was jailed to raise awareness of the dangers young people can face online and urge parents and carers to be vigilant to the signs of child sexual exploitation (CSE). She said: "No young child should have to experience what she has and he has taken her future from her."

There was a change at the very top in November, as Rob Nixon was formally named the force's new Chief Constable after being named as the Police and Crime Commissioner's preferred candidate the previous month.

We also celebrated 20 years of our Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), who since the role's creation in 2002, have and continue to provide a highly visible police presence throughout Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Following a change in legislation, our Special Constables also started to receive training to carry Conducted Energy Devices – also known as Taser – for the very first time.

Loughborough police station also had a four-legged visitor when Rosie the Border Collie – who was lost – walked in. Officers looked after her while her owners were located and she was returned home safe.

There was a further sporting achievement as our own PC Tommy Wright – a former professional footballer – also made his debut for the national police football team, representing Great Britain in their 2-1 victory over the Garda Siochana Football Association.

Image courtesy of Leicestershire Police.

Following a trial at Leicester Crown Court which spanned several weeks, four men were convicted and jailed for life – to serve a combined minimum term of more than 100 years – for the murder of Abdirahim Mohamed in September 2021. Two other men were also found guilty of manslaughter.

In December a 30-year-old man was convicted and sentenced for the murder of Megan Newborough at Leicester Crown Court. Ross McCullam Following a trial, Ross McCullam was told he must serve a minimum of 23 years in prison.

Also in court, Thomas Barney-Jones, Eugene Alexander and Callum Kewmoss were sentenced to a total of eight-and-a-half years' imprisonment after they were found guilty of stealing around £40,000 worth of Indian bangles and a necklace – and were caught just minutes after the offence occurred.

Looking back on the year – and ahead to 2023 – Chief Constable Rob Nixon said: "We've faced a number of challenges over the past 12 months – but we've also celebrated some incredible achievements by our officers and staff.

"As Chief Constable, I want the very best for our communities across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and hope we can continue making positive steps to strengthen our relationships with you – the people we serve – during 2023.

"I want us to continue performing our duty – preventing crime, dealing with those who cause harm, bringing people to justice, protecting those who are vulnerable and continuously improving."