The Support and Enforcement Team have a range of responsibilties that help you maintain your tenancy and keep your neighborhoods peaceful. The team deal with anti-social behaviour (also known as ASB), which refers to a wide range of unacceptable behaviour in the community. It can include things like neighbour disputes, arson, noise, assault, hate crime.
- You can find out more about ASB and how to report it to the Trust here.
In this blog, we're meeting Sue.
Tell us about yourself
I’m Sue, Community Resolution Officer.
I work with anti-social behaviour, tenancy enforcement and safeguarding.
What's your favourite thing about your role?
Helping improve the lives of customers and building strong partnerships with internal and external agencies, which then makes the communities we are involved with great places to live, work and socialise in.
How did you start working in this sector? Was there anything that made you want to work with our communities?
I worked with Greater Manchester Police for over twenty years, starting as police constable in Wythenshawe.
Being in such a large organisation, I got the opportunity to work in several areas of policing from domestic abuse, child protection, proactive crime teams, plain clothes and intelligence - just to name a few. I then became more interested in the strategic aspects of policing so I studied for my promotion, sitting my law exams and soon became a sergeant and Inspector.
I helped write, form and shape policies using my experience to look at long term problem solving that would streamline bureaucratic practices and improve the service to the public. The natural progression was to lead teams in community policing, and I was able to use my communication skills to mediate between the public, rank and file officers and senior leadership teams to help improve the service and relationship with the communities and schools in my area.
The natural progression from leaving the police was to transfer my skills into another organisation working with the public and community. Having worked with some very impressive and talented members of housing organisations in south Manchester, I decided to take the leap into the housing sector.
Being a Cheshire east resident, I was attracted to Peaks & Plains housing Trust and admired the strategic plans they had for improving their communities and also taking into consideration the role social housing has on the environment. I knew I could make an impact in the Trust and help improve customers lives.
Tell me about a day at work that you’re really proud of
Our cases tend to be more in depth and take longer to resolve.
There are so many cases that I am proud of, but working with a tenant who had been victim of county lines drugs gangs taking over their property, which resulted in them being physically and sexually assaulted is high up there.
I was able to help the tenant understand they were a victim of crime and gave them the confidence to inform the police and help gather crucial evidence. I collaborated with several partner agencies on this case and was able to give the tenant their life back.
What do you do in your spare time?
I am a bit of home bird and love being with my family. I have an appreciation for outdoors, so walking in the countryside with the dog is a big part of my down time. I also love gardening and growing plants from seed and making my own hanging baskets. I have turned into an avid composter, although did end up with pumpkins growing in my hanging baskets last year from my home-grown compost.
I also love looking at the sky, and on a clear night- warm or cold, I love sitting in the garden with a glass of wine and explore the skies with an astronomy app. The rest of time, I like to socialise with my husband or friends and regularly get the train from Macclesfield to London or Manchester and just go and explore, but there is usually a cocktail or two involved.