The number of officers who can help enforce Nottingham’s balaclava ban will be bolstered under new council plans.
A new order came into force in September, giving police and community protection officers (CPOs) the ability to demand that face coverings be removed if there is a belief that they are being worn in an anti-social way or for intimidation.
A balaclava worn for these purposes in the city centre, can now land the wearer with a £70 fine.
Face coverings worn for medical or religious reasons are excluded.
These punishments can be enforced by Nottingham City Council’s CPOs, and their numbers are to be boosted even further under the authority’s budget plans for next year.
The number of frontline CPOs was slashed from 100 full-time posts to 76 in 2020 as part of cost-cutting measures.
Their numbers were then reduced further to just 36 amid continued financial troubles, with the authority having declared itself effectively bankrupt in 2023.
Under the council’s new leader, Cllr Neghat Khan, CPO numbers have since been boosted to a total of 45.
The authority is now aiming to reach 60 by investing a further £1.4 million in new job roles, with a plan to return to 100 in the near future.
“Our intention is to build back Nottingham after a devastating 14 years of austerity,” said Cllr Ethan Radford, deputy leader of the council and executive member for finance.
“We can’t do that overnight. We are doing that step by step. We’ve been demonstrating that over the last 18 months.
“We are taking every step we can as the funding becomes available to us.
“What we are hoping to demonstrate in that is that you have an authority that is managing its money better. We are wanting to demonstrate that as our financial position improves, Nottingham people feel the benefit of that.”
The CPOs are now assisted by a number of Safer City Partnership officers, locally known as Red Jackets due to the colour of their uniforms.
The council has pledged to make the city safer by reinvesting in its CPOs, as well as more recently investing in the Red Jackets themselves.
Most of the funding for the Red Jackets a not-for-profit Business Improvement District (BID) organisation which helps and supports businesses in the city in return for a levy.
Since the contract began in April 2025, the Red Jackets have helped recover more than £100,000 worth of stolen stock, which has gone straight back into the business community.
The funding for the roles has been touted in the authority’s budget for 2027/28, which is set to be approved in March next year.
Also in the budget is a council tax freeze for the first time in modern history.
It is subject to consultation and approval by councillors next year.
By Joe Locker Local Democracy Reporter