‘No safe space for criminals’
PERMANENT POLICE PRESENCE IN THE MEADOWS AS PLANS APPROVED FOR MOVE INTO FIRE STATION
NOTTINGHAM councillors have approved plans for Nottinghamshire Police to move into a new permanent home in The Meadows.
Officers will share space with Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service at its London Road station.
The move is possible because Nottingham City Council has an occupational lease on the station but will move out to make space for the police.
The Labour-run authority’s emergency planning officers currently use a section of the building as office space.
And they will be moving back to Loxley House following the sale of the lease to the Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner.
This will provide The Meadows with a permanent police presence, and council officers will move out in March next year to make way for the police officers to move in.
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service previously shared the station at London Road with a neighbourhood policing team on a smaller scale, but Nottinghamshire Police have not had a permanent presence in the area since 2015, when they left their own station in Meadows Way West.
This has since been demolished to make way for 21 apartments to be used as temporary accommodation.
The proposals were approved during a council executive board meeting at Loxley House on Tuesday.
Councillor Neghat Khan, portfolio holder for neighbourhoods, safety and inclusion, said: “I think since the police moved out of the heart of The Meadows we have seen crime such as drugs increase. I really welcome the police moving back in to London Road.
“It will make criminals aware that there is no space that is safe for them to act in.”
Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry said: “Residents in The Meadows could soon see a greater visible presence and I’m sure they will be delighted at the reassuring prospect of having a police station on their doorstep.
“It will mean another collaboration with Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service and represents good value for money for all parties.”
Inspector Karl Thomas, district commander for Nottingham South, including The Meadows, added: “This is a great opportunity for our neighbourhood officers to become even more integrated into the local community in The Meadows. The move will assist with our response times and visibility in the neighbourhood, and allow us to share resources with our partners better.”