Police team cook up hot meal for homeless people

Homeless people in Nottingham enjoyed a hot meal after police officers went along to a shelter and cooked for them.

Neighbourhood officers made spaghetti bolognese at Emmanuel House’s Winter Shelter, which is located on the University of Nottingham's University Park campus.

The shelter opened in October and offers short-term emergency accommodation every night throughout the winter months.

PC Arash Bekr, PCSO Helen Russell-Taylor and PCSO Paula Hipkiss, of the Radford Road neighbourhood policing team, went along on Tuesday evening (2 January) and cooked for 25 guests.

As well as dishing up spaghetti bolognese, the officers made a Biscoff dessert – which also went down a treat. They even stayed to wash up.

The meal was provided in partnership with Emmanuel House, an independent charity that supports people who are homeless, rough sleeping, in crisis, or at risk of homelessness in Nottingham.

PC Bekr said the aim was to build better links with the homeless community. He said:

“With the number of people sleeping rough increasing in recent years, more people than ever need support to access appropriate services and housing. The way public services like the police engage with people can make all the difference.

“Coming along to the Winter Shelter has given us a really good opportunity to get to know individuals, build trust and talk about the support and services that are available to them.

“Homeless people frequently interact with police officers so it is important we build that trust.”

PCSO Russell-Taylor added:

“As neighbourhood officers, we believe in the power of community engagement and our collaboration with the Winter Shelter shows our commitment to making a positive impact.

“By actively participating with the shelter, we are making a conscious effort to bridge the gap between the police and homeless community.”

Rosie Needham-Smith, of Emmanuel House, thanked the officers for their time and contribution. She said: 

“We’re very grateful to the team for donating their time and ingredients to Emmanuel House’s Winter Shelter. By cooking an evening meal for our guests, they helped us meet the basic human needs of some of the most vulnerable people in our city. Thank you for joining us in tackling homelessness in Nottingham.

“It wasn’t just a few hours chopping and peeling, but a contribution to supporting people out of homelessness. We’d like to thank them for their contribution to this valuable work. We could do nothing without our staff and volunteers.”