Alison Hernandez: Targeting harmony in your community

In rural areas like the South West – and in a world increasingly dominated by online interactions - I’m always pleased to see local communities out and about, working together for the good of that locality.

Whether it’s community organisations getting together, enthusiastic residents staging local events, or even just a trip to the pub for a pint with friends – having that local base gives us the firm, even footing on which to enjoy our lives.

Two recent events have got me thinking a lot about communities and what it means to be part of them.

Last week saw the launch of a new Hotspot Policing scheme in Tiverton.

Hotspot policing is a proven methodology for reducing crime by targeting resources and activities in specific areas, which are determined using crime data. The scheme involves increasing visible patrols – from both police officers and street marshals - to deter offenders from taking advantage of opportunities to commit crime.

To be clear, Tiverton has no bigger problem with crime than other similarly sized market towns in the region – in fact, Tiverton is one of 15 towns or cities across Devon & Cornwall to be included in the Hotspot Policing scheme.

Last week local police officers, PCSOs and councillors were joined by street marshals for a launch event in the centre of Tiverton.

Everyone acknowledged that the town does experience issues with antisocial behaviour, drug and alcohol use, as well as shoplifting. What hotspot policing aims to do is nip those issues in the bud before they become a bigger problem for residents, visitors and businesses.

Street marshals have additional powers which allow them to deal with certain issues themselves, without police support.

Most street marshals appointed within Hotspot Policing are fully CSAS accredited. CSAS is the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme which gives partners a range of powers usually only available to police, such as the authority to issue fixed penalty notices for certain offences.

Not only does this free up valuable police time dealing with antisocial behaviour, it also provides a friendly, uniformed presence to reassure members of the public in areas where they may feel more vulnerable. It also provides local councils with an opportunity to show they are doing their bit, as some elements of antisocial behaviour are their responsibility.

There was a lot of positive engagement at the hotspot launch event and I was delighted to hear that locals share my optimism about the impact of this innovative scheme. While hotspot policing is funded mainly by the Home Office, my office has also topped this up with an additional £300,000 to support extra street marshal patrols. My office started this approach during Covd and has continued with the commitment ever since.

On Friday I was thrilled to attend the launch of the newly refurbished Public Enquiry Office at Camborne Police Station.

Connecting communities to the police force which serves them has been the underlying principle of my Police and Crime Plans, and the opening of dozens of police enquiry offices is one example of how I have delivered on that principle.

To see such a wonderful collection of community representatives at the opening was fantastic. We had councillors, the mayor, the local MP, representatives from the local school and neighbourhood policing colleagues on hand to share this celebration.

I also used this opportunity to revealed that Camborne will be the next location for our collaborative Street Focus policing project (more on that in the near future).

The PEO is wonderful and provides a fresh, welcoming space for members of the public - but it’s actually just one small part of a much larger £7.3 million investment to completely refurbish Camborne Police Station.

The work that has gone into this project over the last five years is huge! It has involved a complete overhaul of the building, including the removal of asbestos, a new heating system, complete rewiring, new windows and fascia’s, as well as new facilities such as a lift and electric vehicle charging stations.

The project is due to be completed around November this year, but the building is already looking fantastic – another asset for the community to be proud of and a tangible investment to show the police are a strong presence serving our communities.