Police Now was created in 2015 to attract what the then Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Bernard Hogan Howe, described as the “brightest and best” into policing. While originally incubated within the Met, it soon evolved into an independent social enterprise backed by police forces across the UK.
Police Now approached us to create and deliver a powerful brand identity which would play a central role in delivering their message and raising awareness of their mission to a variety of audiences, each diverse in itself.
This brand would need to:
• cross the boundaries of class and culture
• be distinctive, different and socially relevant
• bring about long-term social change, not just short-term crime reduction
The brand would need flexibility, staying power and sophistication; acting as a platform on which a far-reaching communications strategy could be delivered. In a climate where the subject of policing is too often met with cynicism, negativity or at best, ambivalence, we had to create a solution that would be challenging, impactful, optimistic, striving and surprising. Primarily, the message would be delivered through online channels – although the solution had to work as effectively through other more traditional channels.
This led us to our ultimate brand expression of Police Now: Influence for Generations. Importantly, this is a lot more than an advertising line. It represents the whole philosophy of Police Now, and the experience of being on our programme or partnering with us.
My role, as part of a team was to redesigned their whole brand including their logo identity which captures the brand expression perfectly. Visually, I created an impactful look and feel that reflected issues that Police Now were tackling. Imagery, typography, video and web design all contributed to creating a sense of potential and societal influence. I art directed the shoots, that cemented the reality of the challenge through its use of street-style photography.
We wanted to create a memorable experience, packed with emotional power that used a real-life case study to bring the role of a Police Now officer to life. So, I designed an immersive interactive challenge. The case revolved around a major drug and prostitution issue, involving three locations – a launderette, a betting shop, and a mother & baby safe house. The challenge put students in the shoes of the frontline Police Now officer who presented the case at a 100-day impact event, as what they had accomplished within 100 days of joining the programme – hence the name IMPACT. A bonus of using a real case was that it provided police officers who were unfamiliar with the programme with relatable knowledge and a base for conversations with candidates. Observation and problem solving are two important skills Police Now officers need. IMPACT tested both, beginning with a series of videos that gave different points of view on the case. I also designed the launderette set, that was built and taken on-campus.
Measurements
The quality of applications is higher than last year. Already, in 23 days of being open, Police Now has filled 3 assessment centres of 16 candidates each. It saw a spike in applications of 20% when the Times Top 100 advert went live, with a better conversion through to assessment centre. And Police Now is ahead in its recruitment by 20% compared to the same time last year.
18,219 visitors to the site
96,713 page views
30% returning visitors
52% viewed the site on a desktop
40% viewed the site on a mobile
8% viewed the site on a tablet
70% drop in applicants being screened out for vetting reasons
On track to hit BAME target of 20%
