Yvette Cooper's visit ‘made us feel like we were being heard’ say Fed reps

8 September 2025

Showing Yvette Cooper the outstanding neighbourhood policing work they have both played integral parts in was a ‘moment of pride and satisfaction’, say two Federation workplace representatives.

Sergeant Andy Foulds and PC Sam Gledhill recently had the honour of guiding Yvette Cooper - who was Home Secretary at the time, and is now Foreign Secretary - around Beeston to discuss Nottinghamshire Police’s efforts towards street crime, shop theft and anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the town.

Ms Cooper was visiting the area as part of the Home Office’s Safer Streets Summer initiative, which has already seen her touch base at various forces and locations across the country in June, July and August.

 

Sergeant Andy Foulds (left) and PC Sam Gledhill (right) show
Yvette Cooper around Beeston

 

Over the last 12 months, Beeston has emerged with a 33 per cent positive outcome rate for retail crime – well above the national average of 17 per cent – and has seen a fall of 13 per cent in ASB.

But this was a very different kind of afternoon on the beat for Andy, who has been at the heart of this progress as the town’s neighbourhood policing team (NPT) sergeant.

“It’s certainly not every day you’re walking a high-ranking MP through your place of work, but it was a great experience overall. It was an honour to be able to show someone like Ms Cooper the good work you’ve been a part of,” Andy said.

Shoplifting

“We’ve had some good results with Beeston in recent times, which we’re very proud of. When it comes to shoplifting in particular, Beeston is as good as it gets for town centres in Nottinghamshire.”

“We told Ms Cooper how we’d gone about making these changes as an NPT, and how our focus was not only intensified on these types of crime, but also zoomed out to look at the bigger picture.

“What I mean by that is to look at shoplifting, for example, not as individual incidents which only affect the shop in question, but as part of a behavioural problem that can have an impact on the community as a whole.

“We explained this to her and she was very receptive to it, so it was nice to talk about our approach and our thinking and not just the results themselves. 

Echoing these thoughts was Sam, who is a beat manager for the neighbouring location of Chilwell.

Criminal behaviour

Handling duties which can often extend into Beeston, Sam says the successful visit is a reflection of every officer who has contributed to policing in the town. 

“We might have done the talking on the day, but it wasn’t just about me and Andy – it was about everyone who has played a part, big or small.

“The work in Beeston has fed into other areas – and vice-versa – and will continue to do so. I think this will prove to be especially true when it comes to criminal behaviour orders (CBOs), which there has been a concerted effort to enact in Beeston.

“This has resulted in a number of prolific shoplifters and ASB perpetrators contained under CBOs over the last year.

“But it’s not as simple as just handing them out – we need to gather evidence and make a case file first, and that takes a team of officers.

“So, not only the actions, but the dedication needed to carry them out, is something I think can influence and benefit other areas of the Force for good.”

Demands

On a personal level, Andy and Sam – who became Fed reps earlier this year – went on to describe the occasion as a career highlight and a welcome touch of appreciation in among the busy demands of police life.

“To be visited by Ms Cooper is definitely something you appreciate and don’t take lightly – she is obviously a very important figure to us in policing, so it was a moment of pride and satisfaction,” Sam added.

“As Andy mentioned, to be able to talk about our thought process and the hard work behind the scenes, rather than just the headline results, made us feel like we were being heard.”

Andy ended: “She’d clearly had a long day from other duties that morning, but she made a lot of time for us, and she was receptive to some opinions we shared around wider policing and the criminal justice system, as well as being very pleased with the work we’d done.

“In a job where you don’t always get opportunities to have that, it was something I’m still very grateful for.”

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