On a PCSOs patch

NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE

A friendly and familiar face to the residents of Frodingham in Scunthorpe, Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Nicola Gott is no stranger to solving problems in the heart of the community.

Eighteen months ago, Nicola Gott joined Humberside Police as a PCSO initially intending to gain insight into policing before becoming a Police Constable. However, she very quickly realised this was the role for her. She may not carry handcuffs or a taser, but she carries the same passion and dedication to make a difference where she lives and works, as well as a deep connection and understanding of the community.

For those who don’t know Nicola, if we had to one way to describe her, it would be a people-person. Even in the few hours our Corporate Communications team spent with her, she made us feel instantly at ease, and that’s exactly what she does whilst engaging with the different communities in Frodingham.

Spending over 12 hours per shift patrolling her patch around Frodingham Ward, Nicola is constantly engaging with local residents, businesses, and communities. Whether she is gathering intel, responding to concerns, or supporting wider policing operations, Nicola is always keen to get stuck in on all the action. This includes accompanying warrants alongside neighbourhood beat and response officers, as well as working collaboratively with other departments across the force such as Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking teams, and Criminal Investigation Departments.

We spent the day with her to understand more about what it takes to be a PCSO, and why she loves doing it. Within the first five minutes of hopping into her marked police car, she could tell us everything about every street and snicket.

She was waving at the locals as we drove-by, knew everyone on first name terms, and her spidey senses were always on high alert with anything instinctually suspicious reported back to base to follow up when she was crewed with her two patch PCs – neighbourhood beat officers Michael Jackson and Lewis Blythe.

To start with, we stopped by a few local shops whose owners and employees have recently raised concerns about drug dealing and associated crimes in the area. They showed us where the suspected offending was taking place, reassured us they had top quality CCTV in place, and Nicola encouraged them to keep reporting it via 101, the website, or 999 in an emergency.

Whilst Nicola did provide them with her direct email to encourage them to send through any CCTV or further information, she also explained why it’s so important for crimes to be reported to formally allocate a log number or crime reference to it. This enables repeat reports to be linked together to build that bigger picture around offending. Officers can then look to understand the scale of it, establish the full circumstances, and put an investigation plan in place pulling in the right resources at the right time to 1. Prevent offending from happening in the first place, 2. deter criminals away from the area, and 3. ultimately hold those accountable for their crimes.

Back to the station, we joined our colleagues and Neighbourhood Beat Officers Michael Jackson and Lewis Blythe to head back out together and act upon some of the information received from local businesses earlier in the day.

They spoke about how closely they work with partners such as housing providers, environmental health, social services, community centres, and local authorities. Every six weeks, they hold ward meetings to discuss emerging issues and concerns which then informs the neighbourhood policing teams priorities over the next month.

There is a whole host of work that then takes place behind the scenes and one of Nicola’s main roles as the PCSO is to gather crucial intelligence and learn more about suspected perpetrators. Her work helps to build strong cases in order to achieve the desired end goal and positive outcome.

The team were explaining how the end goal and positive outcome isn’t always necessarily an arrest, charge, or conviction either. PCSO’s are problem-solving champions, and their main goal is to divert individuals away from crime in the first place. Nicola has clearly built-up immeasurable rapport with people from all walks of life within the Frodingham community, meaning they trust and listen to her when she signposts them to relevant support agencies.

Some feedback we received from locals when we were out and about said that after they have reported concerns or spoken to local officers about what crimes most affect them, they have since seen a visible difference and reduction in crime in their area. These differences may seem small, but they have a big impact which makes the job so rewarding for Nicola.

Her main message to the local community is reiterating that it’s just as important to report the crimes online, via 101 or 999, as it is to speak to your local officers about them. If you document the crime, it is logged and will eventually lead to warrants, arrests, and interventions.

She also said no problem is too small – the teams want to know if something or someone is impacting your quality of life. They’re here for you, they’re listening, and they will always do everything they can to signpost you to the support that’s right for you alongside the appropriate partnering agencies where necessary.

So, what did we learn from a day with PCSO Nicola Gott? She’s a mum, daughter, sister, and aunty. She grew up in Scunthorpe and knows the area inside and out. Nicola wants the best for the community, and she is making a significant impact on her patch, breaking down barriers, building up trust, and isn’t afraid to get stuck in on the action.

When you see Nicola out and about, make sure to say hello, fill out our HumberTalking surveys, and sign up to My Community Alert.

You can also report anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.