Neighbourhood police officers interacted with young families at a fun day at Nottingham’s National Ice Centre.
The ice-skating venue organised a host of activities both on and off the ice, including an inflatable ice hockey rink, shooting cage, table tennis and garden games.
With 500 people in attendance across the day, the City Centre and City Central neighbourhood policing teams were invited along – together with Police Cadets – to give families the chance to meet local beat officers.
The day was hailed a huge success with the policing teams successfully breaking down barriers and avoiding breaking bones on the ice.
Sergeant Paul Whitehead, of the Nottingham City Centre neighbourhood team, said:
“We want children and younger people to know that they can approach police officers for a reassuring chat, and we’re keen to talk about policing as a rewarding career opportunity.
“By having the police cadets with us, we were able to explain how volunteering as a police cadet is a chance to expand your skills for the future while improving your CV.
“For older people, they were able to meet local Safer Neighbourhood Team officers and talk through any concerns, receive crime prevention advice and reassurance about our priorities.
“All in all, it was a very successful day.”
PCSO Solomon Clark, also of the Nottingham City Centre neighbourhood team, was among those at the event.
He said: “It’s great to be able to do positive engagement work like this with young people, whether in schools or events such as this family fun day.
“Interacting with members of the community in this way is so important to building relationships with the public and altering perceptions about police officers in a positive way.
“This is a key part of what we do in neighbourhood policing, so we were really pleased to be able to come down to the ice rink and engage with members of the public.”
Kaylie Bickle, Assistant Operations Manager at the National Ice Centre, said it had been a successful event.
She said: “We’re so pleased everyone had fun at the Easter Family Fun Day! It was great to see Notts Police getting involved in the activities on the day and having a good time with our customers.
“It was also fantastic to see them on the ice with our skaters and get into the day’s spirit. Thank you to all who attended!”
