Luke Hall MP has hosted a Neighbourhood Watch Roundtable in Chipping Sodbury, alongside the Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset Police, Mark Shelford.
The roundtable meeting included Neighbourhood Watch groups from The Elms and Highfield Road neighbourhoods in Chipping Sodbury, Chedworth in Yate, and the village of Rockhampton.
Mark began by confirming that the Government’s plans to get more police officers out on our street is progressing well, and that Avon and Somerset can expect to see 550 new police officers, with South Gloucestershire getting an allocation of the new recruits. Luke reiterated the ongoing need and support for more resources and will continue to work with Mark to ensure we get our fair share of extra officers in our area.
Members of Neighbourhood Watch expressed concerns for public safety in their local area, particularly at night and in light of the Council’s decision to dim street lighting at certain hours to reduce costs.
The Police and Crime Commissioner signposted the groups to the ‘Street Safe’ app, designed for residents to report concerning behaviour, or areas where they feel unsafe which is picked up by the Police to continue keeping our streets safe.
Finally, the discussion turned to the work being done to improve the relationship between Neighbourhood Watch and the Police. Rob Turner, Neighbourhood Inspector for Yate and Chipping Sodbury, thanked volunteers for the work they do to make our local area
safer and assured them of the ongoing commitment to Beat Managers supporting our Neighbourhood Watch.
Savio Toson, Chair of The Elms Neighbourhood Watch shared his thoughts on the Roundtable: “This forward-thinking event has improved the relationships between voluntary community groups like neighbourhood watch and our local community police team. Sharing what we expected from each other to improve our community's safety meant I had something positive to share with the Neighbourhood Watch members and explain the way forward.”
Mark Shelford, Police and Crime Commissioner said: “I had the pleasure of meeting with Neighbourhood Watch Members and their MP Luke Hall as part of my Friday Engagement activity.”
“I would like to reassure residents that I have listened to these concerning issues and am working closely with the police and partners to address the issues. I would also like to applaud the work of the Neighbourhood Watch and encourage them to connect with their local Police Neighbourhood beat Managers.
Luke Hall MP added, “It was a pleasure to host this roundtable, for an informative and progressive discussion on various areas of local policing. Our Neighbourhood Watch groups do a fantastic job to serve our community and residents, and I thank them for all they do. The opportunity to raise local issues, hear what work is currently being done to tackle these and share thoughts on various areas of policing was invaluable.”
