Senior police leaders applaud outstanding advisor for his work in improving policing over twenty years

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Senior police leaders, two Chief Constables, two Chief Superintendents and the Chair of Devon & Cornwall scrutiny panel have praised the transformative contribution in policing made by a local person who has become a nationally recognised expert in policing, making a difference locally and nationally.

Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst and Deputy Chief Constable Dan Vajzovic of Bedfordshire police and Chief Superintendent William Hodgkinson of Beds, Cambs and Herts Professional Standards Department as well as Chief superintendent David Boyle have praised Montell Neufville for his work over two decades improving policing across Bedfordshire and wider.

Montell Neufville, one of Britain’s best known police ethics advisors and scrutiny panel chairs, marks 20 years of dedicated service in improving policing practices and community relations having first began as a trainer in 2005. This year 2025 marks 20 years where his innovative approaches and unwavering commitment have earned him an unenviable reputation amongst many within policing, at the same time receiving numerous policing awards for positively influencing law enforcement.

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Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst. Bedfordshire Police said “Montell has worked with Bedfordshire Police over many years holding a mirror up to policing on how it uses it powers helping develop systems and processes to identify, eradicate, reduce, or at the very least explain any disparity in the treatment and services provide to communities. This work as led to significant improvements in services which are key to building trust and confidence with communities. His work with schools and young people has raised important issues and has undoubtedly diverted young people away from the potential risks of knife crime and exploitation. His work goes far beyond the county and has been a positive influence nationally.”

Chief Superintendent David BoyleChief Superintendent David Boyle
Chief Superintendent David Boyle

Deputy Chief Constable Dan Vajzovic added “Montell has done so much to help policing improve in Bedfordshire and his influence is felt much wider than just our county. His connection with policing as a volunteer for two decades is both diverse and highly valued. During the time he has been supporting us he has been instrumental in providing advice and also more recently scrutinising our activity in terms of stop and search, use of force and our own internal investigations. He is an ambassador for policing and facilitates many opportunities for us to better engage with a wide range of members of our community especially through his innovative approach to youth engagement.”

Head of Professional Standards covering Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire police, Chief Superintendent William Hodgkinson said “Montell has been a challenging and supportive friend of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Professional Standards Department (BCH PSD) for a number of years. A key challenge for policing is the bond of trust we have with our communities which we know nationally has been damaged. Montell provides a community voice, coordinates insight, provides challenge, generates ideas and brings heaps of enthusiasm in seeking to overcome challenges like addressing discrimination within policing. Montell is a champion for what British Policing stands for, and I am personally thankful for his good humour, reflection and support in striving to deliver the policing service we aspire to for our communities.”

Chair of the Devon and Cornwall Scrutiny panel Nathan Kiyaga said “Montell is a well-respected national leader and advisor in public scrutiny and policing. He has worked with us in Devon and Cornwall for a number of years from when we first began to set up our structures, recruit panel members, train our people and put systems in place to oversee the police in our area. It is his insights, support and advice that shaped our scrutiny in Devon and Cornwall to become where we are today. He delivered training to our staff and to our members and has always been willing to provide advice and support when asked. I will forever be grateful for his wisdom and listening ear that have contributed to who we are today as the independent panel for Devon and Cornwall police.”

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Chief Superintended David Boyle said “Montell and I first met when I served as a partnership director on the board. Montell, who worked for the trust as the Partnership Manager, provided invaluable coaching and support to help me understand my responsibilities. From the very beginning, his dedication, willingness to go the extra mile, and genuine warmth made a lasting impression.

Deputy Chief Constable Dan VajzovicDeputy Chief Constable Dan Vajzovic
Deputy Chief Constable Dan Vajzovic

Since those early days, Montell and I have collaborated on numerous initiatives under the Att10tive brand, focusing on youth engagement, stop and search practices, and the broader role of policing and law enforcement in our community. Montell has worked tirelessly to foster understanding and promote open dialogue on complex issues that often create tensions between the police and our communities.

This collaboration has led to the development of ground-breaking, nationally recognised work in the area of public scrutiny of police use of powers, including stop and search and the use of force. The scrutiny panels Montell establish have become an invaluable source of feedback for policing and are widely regarded as a benchmark for good practice.

On a more personal note, I must also highlight Montell’s role as an advisor to me during incidents and operations with significant community impact. During some of the most tense and challenging times, his consistent, balanced, and thoughtful counsel on how best to engage, support and work with our communities was both highly valued and instrumental in guiding my decision-making.

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Montell’s dedication, expertise, and commitment to community engagement have had a significant, positive impact, and it is a pleasure to work with him.”

Police Ethics Advisor Montell NeufvillePolice Ethics Advisor Montell Neufville
Police Ethics Advisor Montell Neufville

Long term involvement

Mr Neufville has been involved in the recruitment of over 150 police officers including chief constables, delivered training sessions to more than 2,000 officers over the two decades as well as hundreds of workshop on stop and search, community policing and use of force to young people and community members, recruited many people into police governance and supported the professional standards department with advice and guidance.

As the former chair of Bedfordshire's community scrutiny panel and current chair of the JPS scrutiny panel which covers the armed police, roads police and dogs units across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire police, Mr Neufville has spearheaded numerous initiatives that have become UK best practices.

Bringing about change within policing is challenging

Chief Constable RodenhurstChief Constable Rodenhurst
Chief Constable Rodenhurst

Montell Neufville said; “Bringing about change in policing is a challenging, often slow task. One person cannot do this on their own. First you have to have knowledge of how policing works, then you have to have policy knowledge and third you have to have the right contacts at different rank levels. Change in policing requires determination, being stubborn, relentless, persistent and persuasive.

National Impact and recognition.

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Mr Neufville's expertise has been recognised nationally, with his advice and guidance endorsed by the College of Policing and adopted by forces across the country. His commitment to fair and effective policing continues to shape policies and practices, ensuring a more just and equitable law enforcement system for all.

Achievements;

Over the twenty year period Montell has implemented several innovative best practices in his role as a police ethics advisor and scrutiny panel chair. This includes;

  • Helping his local police force in achieving the highest percentage of reasonable grounds for police use of stop and search powers.
  • Introduced a traffic light system for grading officer performance during stop and search encounters. This system uses red, amber, and green ratings to assess both the legal and policy requirements and the manner and tone of officers interacting with the public. This led to Bedfordshire being rated the best in the country at using reasonable grounds.
  • Provided advice for the IOPC (independent Office of Police Conduct) learning reports for policing. His advice has featured heavily in their Stop and Search Learning report and their recently launched discrimination guidance issued in November 2024.
  • Created a system where "red" gradings in officer assessments are escalated to the Professional Standards Department for investigation, ensuring swift action on serious concerns.
  • Developed a Discrimination Assessment Framework used by police Professional Standards Departments to ensure equality and fairness in their decision making.Developed and Implemented the PLANTER framework for community scrutiny panels, which has been endorsed by the College of Policing.PLANTER stands for:
  • Proportionate
  • Length of time force is used
  • Actions warranting force
  • Necessary use of force
  • Type of force used
  • Ethical
  • Reasonable
  • Assembled a diverse pool of panel members, representing various demographics and experiences

Under Mr Neufville's leadership, The Bedfordshire's scrutiny panel achieved a significant milestone by becoming widely recognised as the most successful community scrutiny panel in the country.

Thanks to officers and people within policing

Montell acknowledges it hasn’t all been one way. He added “I have learned so much from so many people within policing at every rank level. What I teach people and the strategies I implement and advise is often from colleagues and friends who I have met along the way, some have now retired, some new but many are still in force doing every job from frontline to specialist and including senior officers. They have all contributed to my own learning and development so thank you to all of you”.

There is more to be done

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Montell added “I always say there is more to be done, and sometimes things take a long while to see the benefits. However with a range of skills including perseverance, passion and resilience achieving change within policing is possible.”

The work Montell has been doing within policing over the two decades highlights the positive impact made on both the communities he serves and the police forces and other policing bodies such as the IOPC he has worked with, emphasising his role in building trust, improving transparency, and enhancing police accountability.

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