Close-up view of police work
COMMUNITY DAY OFFERS INSIGHT INTO SPECIAL OPERATION TEAMS
EXCITED youngsters in Stapleford got the chance to sit in a Nottinghamshire Police Operation Reacher car and as well as finding out more about the work of the force’s specialist drone team.
The summer roadshow, at Hickings Lane Recreation Ground, also included fun and informative activities run by partner organisations Notts County Foundation, Nottinghamshire County Council Youth Service, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and the Army.
Among those who attended were Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry, Neighbourhood Inspector Simon Riley and Mayor of Broxtowe councillor Richard Macrae.
Also joining in the fun was event organiser and Nottinghamshire Police youth outreach worker Romel Davis.
He said: “These roadshows are a great opportunity for us to positively engage with young people and build trust and confidence in the police, while delivering and providing fun activities with various partners.
“Events like this bring young people and the community together.”
Nottinghamshire Police’s Operation Reacher car and drone talk were a big hit with 10-year-old Oliver Westby and eight-year-old Finley Haigh.
Oliver said: “I liked going in the big police van. It was pretty cool learning about the drones too and how the police use them to track criminals and help find missing people.”
Finley added: “I liked being in the police car and honking the horn and I also enjoyed the Army training activities.”
Police Constable Vince Saunders, from the force’s drone team, said: “It’s good for us to come out and talk to youngsters about the work we do.
“They were very interested and wanted to know how high we can fly the drones and if we use them to spy on people!”
Inspector Riley said: “I’m pleased we had a such a good turnout in the park and the feedback we’ve had has been really positive.
“We are looking at a number of new initiatives to build on the success of an operation to proactively target anti-social behaviour, violence and criminality.
“Community engagement through events such as this one is a key part of this approach.”
Mrs Henry said: “Community engagement is an important part of the work Nottinghamshire Police do and events such as these are opportunities to bring communities together.”
Mr Macrae said: “Engagement events like this are all about bringing unity to the community. The kids really enjoyed themselves and it let them know the police are friendly and approachable.”