THE county’s police and crime commissioner met community leaders and residents to discuss the issues that matter to them most in West Somerset.

Rachel Gilmour, MP or Tiverton and Honiton, welcomed Clare Moody, the Avon and Somerset Police commissioner, on Thursday, January 16.

Visiting Williton, Watchet, and Minehead, Rachel and Clare discussed a number of key issues including police visibility, crime reporting, community safety, and the factors leading to crime, as well as much more.

They first visited Williton where members of the parish council and neighbourhood policing team met them to discuss key local concerns, especially police responsiveness and issues relating to travel routes. After listening to councillors’ concerns, Rachel and Clare both discussed what might be done to help achieve better outcomes in the town, such as how to improve the face-to-face interactions between police and locals.

In Watchet, they were then shown the sites of CCTV cameras no longer functional and heard of the impact of them on the local community; these are the same cameras which proved so helpful in the resolution of 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.

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Also, in Watchet, the Police and Crime Commissioner was keen to visit the site of the smallest operational police post in the Avon and Somerset Branch – a booth which barely fitted in Clare, Rachel 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, Rachel and Clare met with Police Community Support Officers, the mayor and clerk of the town council, and concerned residents, to hear about the issues which affect them on a daily basis in Minehead.

+Mrs Gilmour has heard often from constituents of their issues relating to anti-social and other linked criminal behaviour in Minehead and promised on the campaign trail to visit Blenheim Gardens with the PCC to show and discuss the issues at play.

At the Beach Hotel, Rachel and Clare met with staff from the Dulverton YMCA Group, which provides 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.

Speaking on the day’s events, Mrs Gilmour 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 secure a safer and more prosperous future for West Somerset.”

Clare Moody, Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset, said: “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.”