Inspector Rob Lawton, PCSO Lisa Bee and Cllr Rob Inglis
New laptops are helping Police Community Support Officers stay out on the streets for longer fighting crime and antisocial behaviour.
The devices mean the officers don’t have to spend as many hours inside police stations and can instead offer more of the reassuring high-visibility presence they are known for in the community and help victims more efficiently and effectively.
A total of 17 Lenovo laptops have been purchased with money from the Safer Streets fund and will be used by PCSOs operating in the project areas of Trent Bridge ward in Rushcliffe, Eastwood South in Broxtowe and Netherfield and Colwick, in Gedling.
It comes after the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire secured £3 million of funding for a range of initiatives through the latest round of the Home Office’s Safer Streets scheme.
Inspector Rob Lawton, the project lead, said PCSOs in these areas have now been issued with laptops in the same way as police officers, which means much more time spent in the community.
“PCSOs work incredibly hard so this is giving them the tools they need to be more efficient and help them further the incredible work they are already doing,” he said.
“Having a laptop means they are able to be out in the community for a much higher proportion of their working day, so they are out preventing more crime and antisocial behaviour and improving victim satisfaction.”
PCSO Lisa Bee is one of the officers who has been using the new laptops.
“It helps you deal with incidents better on the spot because you have access to all the information you need at your fingertips to deal with things quickly and efficiently,” she said.
“It means the public are getting a better service and should see PCSOs out and about more.”
The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire has been working with partners including Nottinghamshire Police and the borough councils in Broxtowe, Gedling and Rushcliffe to implement a range of public safety measures as part of Safer Streets.
These range from CCTV and automatic number plate recognition cameras, to Safe Space schemes in shops, street lighting, new Safer Streets Wardens and diversionary activities for young people.
Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry said: “The aim of the Safer Streets scheme is to prevent neighbourhood crime and antisocial behaviour, and violence against women and girls.
“By equipping these PCSOs with laptops we are freeing up lots more of their time to be out in public tackling each of these important issues.”
For more information about Safer Streets, visit Safer Streets (pcc.police.uk)
Posted on Thursday 19th January 2023