The number of Police Community Support Officers out on the streets of Nottinghamshire has increased recently in a bid to keep members of the public feeling safe within their community.
A cohort of 13 PCSOs further strengthened Nottinghamshire Police’s ranks after completing their eight-week training earlier in September, taking the tally of PCSOs stationed in neighbourhoods across Nottinghamshire to 159.
It comes after Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry made a commitment earlier this year to keep Police Community Support Officers on the streets at a time where other Police and Crime Commissioners had made the tough decision to remove funding for the role.
Publicly facing, the PCSOs provide a visible, accessible and approachable uniformed presence in the community to offer reassurance, defuse situations with threats of conflict, improve confidence and trust, gather information and foster good community relations.
Commissioner Henry said: “The public quite rightly expect a visible policing presence to help them feel safe and reassured and with the latest group of PCSOs joining Nottinghamshire Police we can continue to do just that.
“I am proud to see the numbers increasing further with 13 more completing their training and heading out to protect the people of Nottinghamshire.
“The commitment I made to keeping our PCSOs on the streets was all about being alert and ready when it comes to preventing and responding to any issues, as well supporting those in need.”
The cohort included a Ukrainian woman who has become a PCSO to “give something back” after the UK came to the aid of her war-torn homeland.
Anastasiia Orlova, who has lived in England for six years, said she wanted to repay the country for providing refuge for over 170,000 Ukrainians.
The 29-year-old said the invasion of Ukraine had left her fearing for her family – but that they and other Ukrainians had found refuge with a number of sponsor families in Nottinghamshire as part of the UK’s Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Keen to repay their kindness, the mum-of-one successfully applied to become a PCSO with Nottinghamshire Police so that she can give back to the local community.
She said: “When the invasion began, the first city that was bombed was my home city of Kharkiv,” she said. “It was really hard – my family was over there and I was here. I was worried about how they would get out, it was so stressful.
“I went to one village and spoke to one lady. I said, ‘look, I’ve got a lot of family – I need English sponsors’. She introduced me to the whole street and people were saying ‘we can help, tell us what we need to do’.
“I was so grateful. They even helped me secure visas so we could get my family from Poland, where they’d fled to, to England. They were all just so incredible.
“A lot of Ukrainians have come to Nottinghamshire and I really want to repay people’s kindness.”
Chief Constable Kate Meynell said: “I am delighted to welcome these 13 new PCSOs into our ranks.
“They each bring with them a variety of skills and will work with us to deliver the best possible service to our communities.
“Policing is all about public service and duty, and these officers will play an integral part in keeping residents across Nottinghamshire safe.
“I wish them all the best as they play an important role in fighting crime, protecting vulnerable people and ensure our communities feel safe and listened to.”
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Posted on Wednesday 27th September 2023