Earlier this year. Rye News asked for your questions to put to the officer responsible for policing in Rye, the area commander for Hastings & Rother. In the first of two articles, Chief Inspector Jay Mendis-Gunasekera has been telling us about his team, his priorities, and how he thinks policing has changed for the better. You can hear the whole interview on this week’s Ryecast podcast.
Outside Rye police station, Chief Inspector Mendis-Gunasekera is waiting to have his picture taken for Rye News. He greets every passer-by with a polite “good morning”. His officers do the same. Respect is a big thing for the chief inspector – a point he lands several times during the interview. “There’s a level of service I expect from my officers. They should be polite and professional at all times.”
Confidence in police
He’s frustrated by recent news stories and court cases involving the Metropolitan Police in London, but says it’s up to the police to restore people’s trust. “We have to root out those kind of issues. It is not acceptable. They really upset me. What’s come to light, and how officers and staff have acted in ways that should not be policing, is clearly not right. I encourage anyone – inside or outside the police – who sees any bad behaviour to challenge it. In the past people have not felt confident to report misogyny, sexism, homophobia, and racism, but I think we’ve turned the corner.” As the area commander for Hastings and Rother he has 65 officers in his team, based across a huge area of East Sussex. “I would be really disappointed if any of my staff acted in that way, but I know it’s not happening in my area. The officers and staff I work with are really exceptional. They work really hard to support the public.”
Born in Sri Lanka, he’s married with a son. “I’m visibly from an ethnic minority and when I see things like racism and sexism, for me it’s morally wrong. I want this generation of police officers to formulate their own ethics and ideas around what their standards are, and for the older officers to pass on their good experience, and not bad habits.”
Helping people
As a servicing police officer for over twenty two years, he describes himself as a career detective. “I always wanted to become a barrister or join the military - my family are all in the services. I like to look after people and what I love is that I can actually make a difference to people’s lives. I’m really invested in keeping those most vulnerable protected in our communities.” He says it can sometimes be really tough, not least in his previous role as a detective inspector in the child protection team. “One of the most significant incidents for me is when I found an eight year old boy who had been abused. He was only little and he hugged my leg. I was nearly crying. It was probably five years into my service and it brought it home to me that I was doing something that affected people's lives for the better. There’s a lot of bad things going on in the world and if I can be there with my team to look after the public, then I couldn’t be happier.”
Get in touch
Although his patch includes Hastings and Bexhill-on-Sea, Chief Inspector Mendis-Gunasekera has huge affection for Rye and the surrounding villages. “What’s not to like? It’s a beautiful place. The air is clear and the beach at Camber is great. The people are really nice. It’s a lovely, picturesque, and beautiful part of the country. My officers love attending this area. The community is great."
So what’s his message to Rye News readers? “If you've got a problem or you identify issues like anti-social behaviour or drug dealing – in fact any criminality in the area – get in touch through Crime Stoppers as it all helps to build up a picture of what’s happening. In other areas of East Sussex that I've managed I’ve been really effective, so please contact us if you are seeing problems that we are not aware of. We will address them and I promise I will do something about it."
There’s more from our interview with Chief Inspector Mendis-Gunasekera in next week’s Rye News when he answers your questions on the uncertain future of Rye police station, tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, and the battle with drugs - plus there's more on how he needs local people to help him police the town effectively.
You can hear the whole interview on this week’s Ryecast. Just search for Ryecast wherever you get your podcasts or visit www.ryecast.org
