Meet the VRU Team
Members of the VRU team have experience and qualifications in crime investigation and intelligence, youth offending, adolescent early help and family support, youth work, data analysis and project management.
Below you can meet our team and find out a bit more about each team member:
CH/INSPECTOR Elizabeth Jones
VRU DIRECTOR - CHIEF INSPECTOR
I have served as a police officer since 2006 within the MPS and Kent Police. I have operated in front line uniform roles in the most challenging and diverse areas of central London and have specialised as a detective in complex child abuse and exploitation cases. Within Kent Police, I have led in Detective and Neighbourhood Inspector roles and held a District Commander position. Safeguarding our young people and providing them with the opportunities to thrive is everyone’s business. We all want to see excellent outcomes for the young person and whole communities. Our trauma-informed partnership work starts with early identification of at-risk young people, and ends when we see meaningful, enduring and evidenced change.”
CALEY WALDEN
VRU CO-ORDINATOR
"I have worked for Kent Police for over 17 years in various roles but by far the most challenging and rewarding role was working directly with families and young people who came to the attention of the Police. This involved engaging, challenging behaviours, diverting and seeing them back into education or work.
I bring knowledge and experience from my work with me into this VRU Co-ordinator role which is the perfect tool to help enhance a collaborative, creative approach to tackle issues, educating young people and creating positive change."
Gary Painter
VRU CO-ORDINATOR
"I have worked for Kent Police since 2007 as a Police Community Support Officer, Supervisor, Police Officer and I am currently now a Police Staff member working as a VRU Co-ordinator.
I have spent most of career directly involved in community safety and partnership agency roles, working alongside district councils, Early Help, Social Workers, Youth Justice Workers and various charities. All of which has been aimed at supporting young people in the community, finding ways to keep people safe and giving them the best chance to have a positive future."
Karen sandland
VRU CO-ORDINATOR
"I have worked for Kent Police since 2019, starting in the Investigation Management Unit before moving into training and then becoming a Community Liaison Officer. In that role, I delivered community engagement initiatives and supported projects aimed at reducing harm and promoting inclusion. I also co-developed the nationally recognised ‘I See You’ PRAP programme, which supports the Police Race Action Plan. I am passionate about partnership working and creating positive change for young people and communities through collaborative approaches."
Joanne Robson
VRU CO-ORDINATOR
"During my 27 years with Kent Police I have undertaken various roles, all of which have provided me with experience, knowledge, and resources that I now bring to the VRU co-ordinator role.
Using my previous experiences of early intervention and collaborative working I look forward to supporting and educating young people, helping to build safer communities, and working to build a positive, safer future."
Beckee Barton
ANALYST
"I joined Kent Police as an Intelligence Analyst straight out of university. I was very briefly an analyst for the Knife and Firearms Team and then joined the VRU in November 2019.
My work includes analysis of a wide range of intelligence, statistics and information from a range of partner agencies as well as police data.
Claire Read
ANALYST TEAM LEADER
"I have worked for Kent Police for over 30 years, with at least 20 years of analytical experience across various themes.
In more recent years my roles have involved partnership working and using a collaborative approach in analysis to identify strategic and tactical aims with a focus on the vulnerability or criminality of young people".
Serious violence duty team
CH/INSPECTOR
Lara Connor
SERIOUS VIOLENCE CHIEF INSPECTOR
"I have over 22 years experience working for Kent Police. I started off as a Police Officer working out in the community and progressed onto a number of operational roles, mainly working in front line roles including working within community safety units in some of the busiest areas of Kent.
I really enjoy working with partnership agencies and have a personal passion for problem solving and working towards long term solutions which can help to make our communities a safer place to live and work."
EMMA CLARK
SERIOUS VIOLENCE DUTY CO-ORDINATOR
"I have worked for Kent Police for over 20 years. I have operational knowledge and experience in different roles across the force including crime management, being an investigator and a team manager. All of my roles have involved working with partner agencies, using a collaborative approach to tackle the issues faced."