Let's talk: Police launch pilot coffee shop initiative

Mansfielders are being encouraged to say hello to frontline officers they see in their local coffee shops and speak to them about any concerns they have as part of a new pilot project. 

Nottinghamshire Police is now trialling a new initiative in Mansfield which will see response and neighbourhood officers working in town centre coffee chains as part of their agile daily work in their community. 

A key aim of the pilot is to enable members of the public who see an officer in their coffee shop to go and say hello and chat to them, in a relaxed informal setting, if they have any concerns or questions about a local policing matter, such as a reported incident, or if they need any advice. 

The trial scheme, which is due to run for around five weeks, is being supported by the Costa Coffee shops in West Gate, Southwell Road, and St Peter's Retail Park, the Starbucks in the Four Seasons  Shopping Centre and the Dunkin' in Southwell Road.

Sergeant Josh Lee-Taylor works in Nottinghamshire Police’s Prevention Hub which is driving the initiative forward.

The Prevention Hub is a collaboration between multiple force departments responsible for developing and delivering strategies to prevent crime and disorder throughout the city and county. 

He said: “Agile working is already well embedded within our organisation, allowing officers on duty to be flexible by working in different locations to complete their tasks. 

“This pilot project is all about building on that, enabling officers to be even more visible, approachable and accessible to members of the public by spending time working in public spaces, in this instance coffee shops, on an ad-hoc basis. 

“We want it to be an informal process where people can come and say hello to officers in a coffee shop and have a chat with them, helping to break down barriers and improve engagement with our local community. 

“We don’t want it to be like a beat surgery. The idea behind this coffee chain pilot project is to make things more relaxed and fluid, as well as our officers’ presence being able to provide a visible deterrent to crime. 

“It this pilot proves to be a success, then there may be potential for us to consider rolling it out forcewide.” 

Inspector Kylie Davies, district commander for Mansfield, said: “This initiative gives members of the public another route to make contact with us on a drop-in basis and chat with an officer about any concerns they may have or about policing matters that are important to them over a brew. 

“It’s a way of reaching out to those people who don’t necessarily want to come to some of our more formal public events.

"They will now be able to have a chat with an officer in a more relaxed informal setting which will hopefully help to build trust and understanding in our community.”

PC James Lloyd, beat manager for Lindhurst and Berry Hill, added: "We want people to know they can approach police officers if they see them out and about and working in this sort of environment.

"This pilot scheme provides an extra option for people to discuss any concerns they have with us so we can give advice and act on information given."

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