Sidmouth Town Council and Police discuss policing levels and improved online crime reporting system
Sidmouth Town Council recently held a meeting with representatives from Devon and Cornwall Police. Various issues were discussed such as the visibility of Police in and around Sidmouth and the greatly improved online crime reporting system as a quicker alternative to dialling 101. The meeting was attended by Superintendent Anthony Hart who is responsible for the Policing across Exeter East and Mid Devon and Sector Inspector Phil Gray who leads the Neighbourhood Policing Teams across Rural East Devon together with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Town Council and Town Clerk.
The Council was pleased to be informed that over the next few months, Exeter, East and Mid will see an uplift of approximately 40 extra officers, some of which will be stationed in the Rural East Devon area. Inspector Gray also confirmed that Sidmouth will have a new Police Community Support Officer from late September and that they have been recruited and are currently undergoing their training at the Police Headquarters. In addition to the PCSO, a Police Officer has also been seconded to the Neighbourhood Beat Team in Sidmouth for the next 6 months.
Inspector Gray reiterated that reported crime figures in Sidmouth remained very low and that tackling anti-social behaviour continued to be a priority for the team. Other criminal activities such as speeding and drugs were also discussed and one of the main points that came out of this discussion was the importance of reporting incidents to the Police.
Inspector Gray commented, “I cannot emphasise enough the importance of reporting incidents directly to the Police, whether that be speeding, Anti-social behaviour or any other criminal activity. By doing this, the incident is logged and the more reports we have of such behaviour/activity the more I am able to request and secure extra resources to address it. Quite often members of the public will bring concerns to local councillors who in turn will inform the Police, but upon checking Police systems, there will be no official record of anyone reporting the problem. This makes it very difficult for me to then direct my resources, when other areas may have seen a number of reports detailing a similar issue or concern but all incidents were logged.
We quite often hear of the concerns and frustrations that members of the public have when contacting 101 to report incidents and the waiting times to get through. This continues to be addressed by the Chief Constable and improvements have already been made and will continue. I would also urge members of the public to consider using the improved online reporting mechanism which can be accessed using the www.devon-cornwall.police.uk website This is by far the quickest way to report incidents, unless of course they are an emergency, in which case always ring 999. “
Councillor Chris Lockyear, Chair of Sidmouth Tom Council added, “It was great to have the attendance of Superintendent Hart and Inspector Gray who both gave an excellent insight into the demands of modern Policing. I would urge anyone who has witnessed or been the victim of crime to make sure that they report it.”
For Emergencies, always dial 999.
To report Crime online go to: www.devon-cornwall.police.uk and click “Report” or dial 101.