Police in North Devon are 'committed' to tackle ASB

Each patch of town covered with regular patrols which are scrutinised, say officers

Police in Bideford say they are committed to tackling anti-social behaviour and understand the misery it causes after a local councillor told a meeting he had not been in the town for years at night because of fights.

Neighbourhood team leader Sgt Glyn Clark said he was disappointed to read comments made by Torridge District Councillor Philip Pennington recently, especially as each patch of Bideford is patrolled regularly.

Cllr Pennington (Ind, Monkleigh and Putford)) told Torridge licensing committee that the last time he went into Bideford after 6pm there were fights all the way down Cooper Street.

“The night-time economy needs to be addressed because I am not coming here with the amount of ASB that goes on,” he said.

The council had been discussing the need for a meeting with North and West Devon police superintendent Toby Davies as they felt that the 101 phone reporting service was failing and low crime statistics for Bideford were not a true reflection of the real situation.

Sgt Glyn Clark said: “It is disappointing to see some of the comments made by a councillor in the Torridge Licencing Committee meeting.

“Each patch in Bideford has an active patrol plan with the neighbourhood team, including PCSOs, patrolling those areas regularly.

“When officers are not dealing with 999 calls, emergencies, and investigative enquiries, they are out on foot patrol in specified areas which have been identified in the patrol plans.

“We are intelligence led as an organisation and predominantly will steer towards dealing with crime in areas that have a larger number of crimes reported. That is not to say that the areas with less crime will be ignored, simply the police resources we have will be directed to patrol all areas to the best of our abilities and availability.”

He said the areas of concern are discussed every two weeks and crime statistics are scrutinised and priorities set.

“I supervise and scrutinise the monthly patrol plans to ensure that we can maximise our efforts in both preventing and detecting crime,” he said.

“I am proud of my neighbourhood policing team who are all passionate about the local community, this is why we would always encourage the public to report matters to the police, which directly influences our patrol plans, which helps us direct resources accurately in the community.”

Chief inspector Graham Thomas said the police had seen a 5.2 per cent reduction in the last 12 months in anti-social behaviour in Bideford but added: “We aren’t complacent and know the misery that such behaviour causes communities.”

He said neighbourhood teams recently ran a successful operation in the area in response to anti-social behaviour by a minority of people, adding: “tackling this type of issue remains a priority.”

Police say they work with partners to intervene to divert people away from ASB and crime and pick up on local concerns through meetings with councillors and the community safety partnership.

People having issues with the 101 service are asked to report non-emergency incidents to police through their website at: https://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk