!!Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Ladies/Gents,

 As we come to the end of 2025. It’s been a pleasure to see many of you out at events including my monthly patrols and I’d welcome you to come say hello to one of the team or myself and let us know what you think! 

 I wanted to take this opportunity to say Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and here's to an even better 2026!

Having now been fortunate enough to lead the neighbourhood team across East Leicester for nearly two years it has now started to sink in just how brilliant our local communities are in terms of their desire to make Leicester a better place and support their families, businesses and communities.

I have been fortunate enough to attend several brilliant events across the year including Remembrance Sunday, Ganesh, Eid, Vaisakhi and Diwali to name but a few to see our communities celebrate using their own blend of colour, music and dance.

Locally we have had some challenges in relation to some of the festivities including the Anti-Social use of fireworks and it is through striving to professionalise the process of organising street parties, processions and celebrations we have had to for the first time look to utilise criminal powers to deal with repeat offenders.

It is through the buy in of the communities and a communal understanding that legislation is there to support celebrating our cultures and communities, but with some much needed bureaucracy involved to ensure all are kept safe, that we are now in a good position going forward.

In stark contrast to the celebrations held 2025 has had some truly tragic incidents with terrorist attacks striking at the heart of our communities. Being at the vigil for those who lost their lives in the Pamalgam attack certainly hit home the impact that international events can have locally and never was this more truer shown than at the Hanukah event I was proud to attend which took place on the very same day as the tragic events in Australia where a number of people lost their lives and many more were injured.

It is through our local links, joined up working and willingness to support and empower each other that we will continue to strive to keep such issues as far away from Leicester as we can.

Thank you to those who have given Leicestershire Police so very much support, from those within our key individual networks and community leaders, through to the members of our local and strategic independent advisory groups who have helped give us a constructive review of what we do and a well needed perspective on how to improve. 

Charles Edwards

Leicestershire Police East Leicester NPA Commander