Nottingham City Council has approved £157,000 to fund three Police Staff Investigators (PSIs), strengthening the response to crime and anti-social behaviour in Nottingham city centre.
Together with a fourth post already funded through the council’s Homeless Fund, the investment will create a dedicated four-person team for at least 12 months. The funding is part of the council’s wider £20.4 million programme to improve frontline services.
The investigators will be employed by Nottinghamshire Police and work alongside neighbourhood policing teams, with support from the city’s lead investigators. They will focus on progressing city centre cases and improving outcomes for victims.
Councillor Matt Shannon, Executive Member for Community Protection, Neighbourhoods and Equalities, said: “People want to see action on the crime and anti-social behaviour that affects their day-to-day lives. This investment will give Nottinghamshire Police dedicated investigative capacity in the city centre, helping cases move forward while freeing up officers to respond to issues on the ground.
“Working with our police partners is central to the Respect for Nottingham campaign. We want the city centre to feel safe and welcoming for residents, businesses and visitors, and this investment will help us take practical action to achieve that.”
Cit Commander Superintendent Chris Pearson, said: “Having these extra officers in post will be a huge benefit for our retail community who are being targeted by shoplifters.
“They will be dedicated to retail crime and will be able to ensure those causing the most harm to our business community will be dealt with robustly.
“This includes gathering evidence, ensuring offenders are put before the courts, ensuring those who continue to target businesses are subject to a Criminal Behaviour Order, banning them from the area, and ultimately providing local businesses with the support they need.
“We simply won’t tolerate offenders coming into Nottingham to commit crime and causing problems for our hard-working business community.
“That’s why we have made a commitment to employ these extra resources.”
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