Neighbourhood officer boost met with caution by chair
15 April 2025
Simon Riley’s comments come after it was revealed last week that 30 police officers will be recruited to boost neighbourhood policing within the county over the next year as part of a £200 million Government initiative.
Nottinghamshire will receive just over £3.5 million of the Government’s funding, which will be divided to cover 30 cops, 20 Police Community Support Officers (PSCOs) and 20 Special Constables.
Details of the initial funding for 2025 to 2026 were announced by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper last week, marking the first stage of a four-year programme which will see 13,000 extra police officers, PCSOs and Specials into neighbourhood policing roles by the end of this Parliament.
Simon Riley said: “Of course it’s great to see policing such a huge part of the Government’s conversation - but as always, the devil will be in the detail.
“The sceptic in me would argue that that’s not going to be any additional funding - this money will come from already existing budgets. So, what other areas of policing will pay the price?
Police pay
“Plus, this is all part of a wider picture. It’s not just about boosting officer numbers, but it’s about retaining our hard-working cops, who do not feel their pay reflects the ongoing challenges, pressures and dangers they face on a daily basis.
“A review of police pay and the way police pay is determined needs to be part of the Government’s plan.”
He continued to reflect on the austerity years, which saw neighbourhood policing hit by under-investment in policing.
“The Government is now responding after our neighbourhood policing teams were completely stripped back to meet other demands in Force at a time where officer numbers were falling,” he said.
“However, in Nottinghamshire, our Force recognised that our communities had missed seeing that police presence on their streets, which is why we’ve already re-shaped our neighbourhood policing models. In fact, much of the plans already announced by the Government have already been adopted by our Force and it is working really well – we are ahead of the game in this regard.
Crime hotspots
“Our neighbourhood teams are already out there, with named officers on each beat area, delivering problem solving and targeted activity around known crime hotspots, including the dedicated patrol of town centres at weekends.”
As part of the Government’s plans and under the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, it is planned that every neighbourhood in England and Wales will have dedicated teams spending their time on the beat, with guaranteed police patrols in town centres and other hotspot areas at peak times such as Friday and Saturday nights.
Communities will have named, contactable officers to tackle the issues facing their communities.
There will also be a dedicated anti-social behaviour lead in every force, working with residents and businesses to develop tailored action plans.
In a letter to all chief constables, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “These measures will make a considerable difference to the service communities receive from their neighbourhood policing teams. They will ensure consistency across England and Wales so that everyone receives a first class service in their area, reversing the damaging cutbacks in neighbourhood policing seen in recent years.”
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