THE Camelford Community Network Panel welcomed Andrew White, chief executive from the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, to its meeting on September 13, who briefed panel members on the Police and Crime Plan, writes Suzanne Cleave.

Mr White explained that since Alison Hernandez took office as commissioner in May, a consultation has taken place on her first Police and Crime Plan. The consultation ended recently and received 1,350 detailed responses.

The consultation raised a number of issues, both strategically and locally, and one area the PCC will focus on is to work on the connection between the police and the communities.

One area will be communication — problems surrounding the 101 non-emergency number are to be looked into, as well as making it easier to contact Neighbourhood Policing Teams. Work will also be carried out to use local councillors as a means of connecting with the public.

Mr White said: “We realise people come to you [councillors] and talk about what’s going on in the community. We’re looking at developing some service standards and possibly the concept of having some nominated councillors that the police may publicise as a public advocate.”

A second area Ms Hernandez is looking at is to assist communities to be able to do more to help themselves, for example, through community speed watches.

Police physical presence is the third area in focus. The police have stopped closing sites and are looking at how to maintain the police ‘footprint.’

Mr White added: “Whilst they might not have a front desk, there might be some form of access point for people.”

Mr White gave the example of St Blazey police station, which was sold to the town council, but the council allowed them to put a police presence in there, and residents are able to go there to see the local officers.

The fourth area surrounds concern over the speed of immediate response. While urban areas fair better, residents of remote areas, such as Bodmin Moor, still have the same requirements.

Mr White told the panel that there are three secondary elements — one, getting the best out of the police; two, building better support for victims, and three, reducing crime through reducing offending.

Mayor of Camelford, Rob Rotchell, who chaired the meeting, said: “We’d all like to see more police on the streets but we’ve gone beyond that now.”

He believed that local areas should be able to have some influence on policing at a local level.

Cllr Rotchell said in Camelford the allocation of Police Community Support Officers is decided somewhere else, so there are often two PCSOs in the town on a Tuesday afternoon and not at other times when they could be needed.

“Nothing happens on a Tuesday afternoon.”

Mr White said: “It sounds like lazy deployment. I don’t think Camelford is so dangerous on a Tuesday afternoon that we’ve got to deploy officers in pairs.”

He suggested that the council could possibly have discussions with key operational police officers to address the issue.

Problems surrounding illegal parking and the traffic in Camelford were also raised.

Cllr Rotchell said: “This year was the worst I have ever seen since I moved to Camelford. I did raise the issue of parking illegally with the PCSO and he told me to speak to my Cornwall Councillor. I said the moment I got home I would!” (Cllr Rotchell is also Ward member for Camelford).

One member of the panel recalled one lady had parked her car at the Delabole Slate Quarry to walk her dogs, and on her return her tyres had been let down. It was reported to the parish council, and an email was sent out to all parish councillors, but no-one knew the contact details of the local police officer.

Mr White said: “We really do want people to report everything. It might be that something is a regular occurrence.”

Anyone wishing to get in touch with their local police officers or to contact the police in a non-emergency case is asked to call 101.