The Red Jackets, officially called Safer City Partnership officers, have been on patrol across the city for just over a year, and are tasked with supporting businesses, visitors, and keeping vulnerable people safe.
While Mr Pinder said they can be branded with stereotypes, they have already been making a significant, positive impact on the city centre, his boss says.
Team manager and former British Army Officer and private investigator, Rob Hughes, of the My Local Bobby security service, said the teams have become the first port of call for local businesses in need of support.
“In terms of the return on investment, they have recovered since the start of the contract in April last year over £108,200 in stolen stock, which has gone straight back into the business community,” he said.
“There have been over 300 vulnerable people helped and assisted towards some form of charity, whether it’s The Health Shop (a drugs and sexual health charity) or Framework (a homelessness charity).
“There have been over 300 incidents of anti-social behaviour dealt with as well by the teams on the ground in just over a year.
“It goes back to the whole premise where they say shoplifting isn’t a victimless crime, but obviously everyone ends up paying the price for it in the long term.
“So being able to help the businesses to make sure money stays within them really helps them with their costs, and keeps their staff employed.”
Nottingham City Council’s leadership has pledged to make the city safer through reinvesting in its CPOs, as well as more recently investing in the Red Jackets themselves.
Most of the funding for the officers comes from It’s in Nottingham, a not-for-profit Business Improvement District (BID) organisation which helps and support businesses in the city in return for a levy.
Mr Hughes said the officers have the same powers as any other citizen, including the right to detain a person committing an offence, as well as the right to use reasonable force to stop people making away, causing criminal damage, or assaulting people.
Much of their work is about being a visible presence in a bid to prevent criminal and anti-social behaviour happening in the first instance, while supporting vulnerable people or those in need of help.
Yet, Mr Pinder, a former John Lewis security guard, says they have had some difficult jobs, too.
During one incident, a moped driver and their hammer-wielding passenger was spotted driving towards members of the public in Broad Street.
They detained them, took possession of the hammer, and the police attended to deal with the rest.
“The role is incredible because of all the diverse things we deal with throughout the city centre,” Mr Pinder said.
“No two days are the same. There are all sorts of incidents we deal with – all from low level theft, up to assaults, weapons, things like that. There have been a lot of serious incidents over the last year.
“The general feeling I’ve got from members of the public are they are really happy to see us out on the street.
“There has been a noted drop in shop thefts with a lot of the retailers and businesses. It might not be something they call the police for, but they would call us.”
Carmen Caplescu, who started as a Red Jacket in March, said she had been enjoying the outdoors role and the different situations she has dealt with, having come from the security team at a casino in London.
The reinvestment comes after the city council slashed the number of frontline CPOs from 100 full-time posts to 76 in 2020 as part of cost-cutting measures.
Their numbers were then brought down even further to just 36 amid continued financial troubles.
However, CPO numbers have now been boosted back to a total of 45, with finances having since improved following the council’s declaration of effective bankruptcy in 2023.
Five new CPOs, who have recently completed their training, are now out on patrol across Nottingham.
By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter