Officers and outreach team provide haircuts and hygiene products to support vulnerable people

A team of police officers, clinical specialists, and practitioners for those experiencing severe disadvantages have been walking the streets of Nottingham offering support to vulnerable and homeless people.

The street outreach initiative formed part of Nottinghamshire Police’s targeted day of activities in the city centre to reduce and deter retail crime as part of Safer Business Action Week on October 16.

The group set off on Wednesday afternoon to areas across the city where homeless and vulnerable people are known to gather, including Lister Gate, Clumber Steet, and Old Market Square, to directly offer them free food parcels, hygiene products donated by the Hygiene Bank, haircuts, and access to support.

The aim of the outreach work was to built trust and engage vulnerable communities in vital support services.

They were joined by three former offenders who have completed the force’s Offender to Rehab programme, which provides wraparound support for those who want to overcome substance misuse issues, such as drugs and alcohol addiction.

Involving those with lived experiences is a key part of the outreach work, as it enables them to share their personal insight and strengthen relationships with vulnerable people to encourage the homeless community to engage with the available support services.

Nottinghamshire Police were joined by Changing Futures, Nottingham Recovery Network, and the Clean Slate team throughout the day, who were available to refer vulnerable people into ongoing support for issues relevant to them.

The volunteer barber, who is also in recovery, took his own equipment ordinarily used in a barber’s shop including clippers, an apron, and a chair, out on the street to offer his time and services free of charge, which was warmly received by the homeless community.

The outreach work was organised as part of the force’s Prevention Hub, which is a collaboration between multiple force departments responsible for developing and delivering strategies to prevent crime and disorder throughout the city and county.

It was led by the Offender to Rehabilitation Project, a scheme jointly coordinated by Nottinghamshire Police and the Nottingham Recovery Network – Clean Slate Criminal Justice Pathway.

PC Jo Baxter, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Prevention Hub, is one of the Offender to Rehabilitation Project coordinators.

She said: “We know that enforcement is not the only solution available to prevent crime.

“It requires a partnership approach to address the underlying causes that may lead someone to commit an offence in the first place.

“Something as simple as a haircut or beard trim made a real difference to several homeless people and you could see the transformation right away from the smiles on their faces, giving them the trust and confidence to reach out and accept support from the services present.

“We have found that we get much better results when enforcement is paired with outreach and engagement with vulnerable communities, which helps reduce offending in the city centre and prevents crime from being pushed out into the suburbs.

“That’s why it’s really important that services are available to support vulnerable people who are entrenched in chaotic and complex lifestyles often resultant from trauma and adverse childhood experiences, who may require wraparound support to break free from the ongoing perpetual cycle of offending and substance misuse.”