The force’s first ‘community hub’ is set to be built in a supermarket car park to bring an even more visible and reassuring police presence for residents.
The station, launched in partnership with Nottingham City Council and Asda, will be in the car park at Asda in Hyson Green, which is visited by thousands of local people every day.
Shoppers will have a convenient way to speak to police and community protection officers about concerns or get advice.
The announcement comes as part of the Radford Road neighbourhood policing team’s ongoing commitment to building relationships with the local community in the area.
Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Amy English, who leads the team at Radford Road police station, has shared how she thinks the community hub will be a brilliant addition to the neighbourhood policing arsenal.
She said: “We know how important it is for residents to see a visible police presence for both reassurance and the ability to raise concerns quickly.
“From a neighbourhood policing perspective, we want to be a part of the communities we serve and this new micro station is a chance for us to get to know residents and understand what local issues.
“The station will have officers from Nottinghamshire Police and or Community Protection based there throughout the week, so I’d encourage anyone who wants to get to know the team to pop in and have a chat.”
Inspector English has also thanked Asda and the council for their support in this project.
She added: “We know how popular the Asda is in Hyson Green, it’s a massive part of the community and we work closely with the supermarket and community protection officers to address concerns in the area.“For example, we acknowledged there was an issue with antisocial behaviour outside the store and set up regular patrols in the area to address this.
“As a result, we have seen fewer reports of antisocial behaviour but we have not stopped there.
“The community hub can be seen as an evolution of that work and I am pleased that the project is going ahead in partnership with community protection and Asda, who have all been incredibly supportive.”
Darren Underhill, Hyson Green Store Manager at Asda, said: ‘’We are very pleased to be able to continue to support Inspector English and the rest of the Radford Road neighbourhood policing team in helping to make our local area safer for residents and our customers and colleagues.
“As part of our ongoing work with the local council and the police, we have increased our own security measures at our Hyson Green store and are pleased to be able to continue support the local community by having this ‘micro station’ at our store.
“We again thank Inspector English for all of her team’s work on this issue and encourage our customers to visit the station and speak to the team when it opens later this year.’’
The station is expected to be unveiled in later this year. In the meantime, Insp English has asked that residents continue to report their concerns to the police.
She said: “The neighbourhood policing team and Operation Reacher team are always looking for ways to improve the area so please do get in touch if you have any concerns.
“You can speak to officers on patrol, call 101 drop us an email at radfordnpt@nottinghamshire.pnn.police.uk.
“I’d also recommend that residents sign up to What Matters, an email service that gives you the latest updates and advice on crime in your area.”
