AS a representative of the public in policing I am always keen to hear views from the public and frontline officers.

That’s why my engagement team has been out and about to hear your views on policing and crime.

Last week they took my community engagement van to Exmouth, in East Devon, and Torquay and Totnes in South Devon. In Torquay we are engaged with other services in our Street Focus project, which is designed to target antisocial behaviour and drug misuse, which is the source of a huge amount of upset and making some people feel really unsafe.

Despite very wet conditions people came up to us to find out more about the project and to give their views and ideas.

In Exmouth my new deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Mark Kingscote, spoke to numerous businesses and residents about the policing issues which most mattered to them. Again, antisocial behaviour is high on the list of complaints there. 

Businesses are really concerned about shoplifting, and figures from the Office of National Statistics suggest they have every right to be. Released on Thursday, they show a significant rise in shoplifting across Devon and Cornwall, and I worry that this crime type is still under-reported.

I am keen to support officers, staff and volunteers in Exmouth, which faces a significant uplift in incidents in the summer months. That is why I have proposed a £5 million project to rebuild the ageing Exmouth Police Station with a modern facility which will, unlike the present arrangement, have an accessible public enquiry office.

There was great news last week when a significant hurdle to this project was overcome. Planning permission had been delayed by the need for a bat survey of the buildings which are presently on the site. This came back negative so I am pleased to say we are on our way to completing my project to reopen – or open for the first time – 18 police enquiry offices around Devon and Cornwall.

On Friday night I accompanied officers on a response shift to see what challenges officers are facing. And next week the engagement van will be at the Boardmasters music festival in Cornwall, where they will be seeking the views of young people on a range of issues.

At the start of a new four-year term this first-hand feedback on what matters to people and police officers is an invaluable tool – ensuring that the public’s voice will be heard in the next police and crime plan – a document which sets a strategic direction for the force and helps reduce reoffending.

My 2021-25 Police and Crime Plan focused on priorities of reducing antisocial behaviour, violence, drug misuse and dangerous driving. These priorities were informed by both data relating to levels of harm in society and feedback from the communities we serve about what mattered most to them.

Together we can build safer, more resilient and connected communities in which everyone has a part to play.