13 hours Ago
Ms Moody, the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Avon and Somerset Police, joined the MP for Tiverton and Minehead in visiting Williton, Watchet, and Minehead on Thursday, January 16. The groups discussed the key issues of police visibility, crime reporting, community safety, the factors leading to crime, and much more. Ms Moody said: "It is always useful to come together and meet with people who are making a difference in their communities.
Doing so with Rachel [Gilmour MP] is not only a pleasure but also highly informative. "All of this is about listening and learning from those communities, gaining insights from the people bringing and sharing their expertise so that we can make a difference to West Somerset”. Ms Moody, whose role as PCC is to be the voice of local people in policing and to hold the Chief Constable to account, spoke with members of the Parish Council and members of the neighbourhood policing team in Williton on the first stop of the day.
The issues raised to Ms Gilmour and Ms Moody included police responsiveness and local travel routes. After listening to the councillors’ concerns, the pair both voiced reflections on what might be done to help achieve better outcomes in Williton. Including how face-to-face interactions between the police service and the local community could be improved.
In Watchet, the pair were shown the sites of CCTV cameras that were no longer functional and heard of the impact that was having on the local community; these are the same cameras, which helped resolve the Scatchard case. The visit to Watchet continued with a walk up the high street and around the harbour, where sites of anti-social behaviour were pointed out. PCC Ms Moody also visited the site of the smallest operational Police Post in the Avon and Somerset Branch – a booth which barely fitted in the PPC, MP, and the Watchet councillors on the visit.
The visit concluded with two stops in Minehead, first to Blenheim Gardens, and finishing in the Beach Hotel. In Blenheim Gardens, the MP and PCC met with Operational Police Community Support Officers, the Mayor and Clerk of the Town Council, and concerned residents to hear about the issues affecting them daily in Minehead. Ms Gilmour MP said she had regularly heard from constituents about issues relating to anti-social and other linked criminal behaviour in Minehead and pledged on the campaign trail to visit Blenheim Gardens with the PCC to show and discuss the issues at play, as she did on Thursday.
At the Beach Hotel, they met with members of staff from the Dulverton YMCA Group, who provide a fantastic pathway into skilled employment for individuals referred to them by Somerset Council, who are at risk, either of homelessness or in need of support. They discussed the need for greater collaborative work on tackling the key issues which drive the factors at the root of youth antisocial and criminal behaviour, and how the Beach Hotel provides a valuable, and successful stepping stone in the lives of those individuals who stay there. Speaking on the day’s events, Ms Gilmour, MP for Tiverton and Minehead, said: "I was delighted to be able to welcome Clare Moody to my constituency and to discuss the issues at the heart of people’s concerns in West Somerset.
"We spent a good afternoon speaking to local leaders, hearing about their concerns, and trying to offer solutions where we believe we can help. There is still much to do, but by working collaboratively we can help secure a safer and more prosperous future for West Somerset.”.
