March 4, 2013, by offcampus

Students in Nottingham – The Chief Superintendent’s View

Today we’re very pleased to welcome Chief Superintendent Simon Nickless to the Off Campus blog to talk about students in Nottingham and how the Police are working with our communities.

As Divisional Commander for Nottingham City, I’m responsible for the officers and staff working to help build a safe and clean City for the people who live, work and visit us.

From crime prevention, to dealing with perpetrators and supporting victims, our staff make up a really diverse mix of roles and responsibilities.

Our students are a big part of our community in Nottingham. Not only studying but supporting the retail sector, night time economy, restaurants and living in our neighbourhoods; we want you to feel a part of life here.

That’s why in every neighbourhood of Nottingham, you’ll find a dedicated beat team who’re there to listen to their community issues, whether that’s dog fouling, envirocrime, ASB  or crime prevention information.

We’re passionate about grass roots policing because we know it works.

In the last 10 years, crime in Nottingham City has reduced by a significant 54%, and in the last three years, we’ve seen a drop in anti-social behaviour of 34%

So that’s what we’re doing for you: so what can you do for us?

In a nutshell, respect our City.

Look after yourselves and your belongings, don’t take unnecessary risks and when you’re out enjoying our nightlife, drink sensibly. Have a smartphone? Download a simple tracking app; they’re available for BlackBerry Android or Iphone and can help us track your phone if the worst does happen.

Make sure you secure your home properly, I know this can sometimes be difficult when there are lots of you sharing one house, but so is replacing invaluable items if you’re a victim of burglary. We are working in student areas to demonstrate how vulnerable some houses could be to opportunist burglars. Officers will be trying doors and when they find an open one, they will leave a footprint leaflet, highlighting how easy it would be for thieves to grab your valuables.

You’ll have noticed that we’re big on tackling litter, fly tips and any other envirocrime that degrades the look of our neighbourhoods. We’re the UK’s cleanest big city and we plan to stay that way. If you’re caught dropping litter, you’ll face a £75 fixed penalty notice and even more for fly-tipping.

Similarly, the whole City Centre is an Alcohol Exclusion Zone, so if you’re caught with an open container of alcohol in the City, you’ll have it confiscated.

Finally, keep the noise down. Respect your neighbours and if you’re planning a party or get together, do the decent thing and let people know in advance.

You’re an important part of life in Nottingham, so be an important part of keeping Nottingham safe and clean.

Make sure you follow me on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook to keep up to date with what we’re doing to keep you safe.

Enjoy Nottingham,

Simon

Chief Superintendent Simon Nickless

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Posted in Guest blog