Investigating harassment

PC Jeevan Sahota is one of Bedfordshire Police’s Accelerated Detective Programme students. Last year he investigated a harassment case which resulted in two-and-a-half years’ imprisonment for a persistent offender.

I was given this case in March 2020, when I was assigned to the Crime Investigation Team.

At this point the victim reported that she had been receiving threatening and upsetting text messages, emails and even letters by post, for three months. There was no way to immediately link the online messages to one person as they were all sent from different phone numbers.

The messages contained demands for money and threats that a compromising video of the victim would be released to her friends and family. In fact, the video never existed, but the offender kept sending upsetting and offensive messages.

“Being believed feels incredible” – how a victim of childhood sexual abuse reclaimed her life

A survivor of sexual abuse as a very young child has spoken about how keeping her secret shaped her life, and how much brighter she feels since she found the courage to speak out.

It was 1995, and Amy* was just three years old and sitting on her grandfather’s lap when he first touched her inappropriately during a tickling game.

This abuse went on practically every week until she was nine, and even involved him photographing and videoing her, despite her asking him to stop.

And with his words that it was her fault, and that she wouldn’t be believed, hanging over her, she didn’t tell a soul for 27 years.

Even after the toughest of days, knowing that I can improve someone’s life and make a positive difference for them keeps me going.

Before I joined Bedfordshire Police in 2014, I spent 11 years in the Royal Military Police and worked around the world, including the UK, Germany, Canada, Kenya, Iraq, Kuwait and South East Asia.

My time in the military, working in so many different places with people from such varied backgrounds and cultures, taught me one of my biggest skills, which is the ability to communicate with others on a personal level. It’s not just about what you say, it’s also about your body language and how you express yourself, and how you learn to adapt your style to suit those you interact with.