Agenda item

To receive any verbal updates from Partners and Community Groups present, including:

 

·       Police – Neighbourhood Teams

·       Fire & Rescue

·       Community Engagement Manager

·       Youth - LYN

 

To note the following written updates attached to the agenda:

 

a)    Police – Wilton Update attached, West Wiltshire Team Update online

b)    Dorset & Wiltshire Fire & Rescue

c)     Wiltshire Council Items for Information

d)    Clinical Commissioning Group

e)    Healthwatch Wiltshire

f)      Community Safety Group

g)    Local Youth Network

 

Note: Speakers are reminded that they each have a 3 minutes slot, unless they have previously discussed alternative arrangements with the Community Area Manager.

Police – Inspector Pete Sparrow, Inspector Jill Hughes and Sargent Kevin Harmsworth were in attendance to provide verbal updates in addition to the reports detailed in the agenda pack.

 

Jill Hughes, Inspector for Warminster area. Covering Mere and Tisbury community areas. Background with neighbourhood policing, broad knowledge and skill set to bring to the team.

 

Kev Harmsworth had worked for last 16 years in Policing.

 

·       Community Messaging is what we like people to sign up to, we also put updates out on Facebook and Twitter.

 

·       Local priorities include work on modern slavery and county lines, where we are looking at early intervention work, to steer the young people back.

 

·       Joint working with the rural team to focus on hare coursing.

 

·       On 2^nd March there was a decision to decommission the Wilton Police Station, and to replace that facility with a touchdown location of Wilton Library.

 

·       PCSO Matt Smith was rural crime trained, he had recently completed training in drone work.

 

·       There had been a rise in Catalytic converter thefts across the whole of Wiltshire. These were being sold on for money.

 

 

Questions & Comments:

 

·       I was aware that Wilton was not in use for some time, a co-location was a good idea, but the Wilton library was not open every day.

Answer: We will be there when it is open, Police will continue to do their patrols. We would not have a key to the building so only access when it was open.

 

·       How would the drone help ease rural crime?

Answer: It was located in Devizes, however we have rural officer trained, including Matt. It could be used for missing people and for poachers. It has night heat seeking cameras and a half mile radius.

 

The Chairman asked if a phot could be provided to the CEM to be used to advertise what was happening in the area.

 

 

Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC)

Deputy PCC Jerry Herbert gave an overview on the proposed increase to the precept, to deliver Policing for Wiltshire.

 

Community Engagement Manager

Karen Linaker gave an update on her work and projects in the area:

 

·       Eco friendly villages: following on from the November meeting – Cllr Tony Deane would lead a local review of current projects and initiatives.

·       Waste Free February

·       Health & Wellbeing Group: An action plan for Dementia Awareness Week (May 2020) would be produced.  Helping with the Make A Friend Be A Friend social isolation project

·       Young People: helped to shape the main theme, and working with them for the 18^th March Employment & Skills Event

·       Community Safety Group: continued focus on speeding, and strengthening of local neighbourhood watch schemes

·       Tisbury’s first ever Silent Disco:  would be held on 19th March, 10.30am at the Nadder Centre

·       Flood Resilience Spring workshop: date to be confirmed

·       Our Community Matters Conference: scheduled for 6^th May, 6.30pm, at the Nadder Centre

 

Community Safety Group

Cllr Jeans noted that concern had been raised following the newspaper article which reported that Wiltshire was the second from bottom counties in England to produce fines for fixed cameras. The Group had decided to write to the MPs and the Leader of the Council, to ask if the cameras could be activated and for the fines be drawn back in.  He noted that in the areas where the traffic moved at a very high speed, it was not possible to have a SID.

 

He asked the Police if they were able to do anything in terms of enforcement?

 

The Chairman noted that speed cameras were there to slow the traffic, which is said to reduce accidents. Yet in Wiltshire we have the same levels of accidents as other areas that have the cameras.

 

Cllr Wayman added that the national papers had an article which stated that Wiltshire issued no fines for speeding. This was because it did not have fixed cameras. Our collision rate was pretty much the same as areas that have the fixed cameras.  The biggest complaint that we hear is that people are distressed by people speeding through the villages.

 

Answer: Jerry Herbert – I attended the Strategic Road Safety Sub Group meeting with Cllr Wayman. There are a variety of different approaches that could be taken. There were other forces that issued large numbers of tickets. A small proportion of traffic fines do find their way back to the Police Force, but it had not been found to be a good way of funding.

 

The Community Speedwatch (CSW) system was our preferred way to reduce speeding in our villages. In the last 12 months, the PCC had invited the Chief Constable to target enforcement action where possible, now that there was a better idea of where speeding was takes place. The Local Inspectors know their areas well.

 

We were also looking to the Chief Constable to provide a specific unit to support the CSW teams.

 

The Chairman asked Jerry to feedback that more support of the CSW volunteers was needed.

 

It was noted that in Bishopstone, there had been a group of CSW volunteers up until October, when it ceased to operate due to feeling unsupported in their efforts. They felt that the Police did not give adequate support.

 

In the areas where CSW was not an option, could they have something other than a SID?

Answer: Jerry – There were two aspects to having a CSW, first was the traffic count, which needed to pass a certain threshold. Then secondly a risk assessment. Some sites were deemed too dangerous, but that did not mean a Police Officer could not make a visit there.

 

Youth Update

Rowland Hughes introduced himself, from the Landscape Partnership Scheme. He had met with Jaki and the young people and was keen to further develop joint working with them.

 

Grant Awards Update

Mike Ash – Bishopstone Parish Council - Playtrail

We had a play train in the village which was rotting, so we approached the Board for 50% of the project cost to replace the equipment. We firstly went out to consultation to find out what the village wanted. It came back that we should have a play trail. This project has been well received by local residents and people visiting our village. Thank you to the Board for the grant.

 

Liv McLennan – Moving Music - Tisbury

 

We achieved our five aims.

1. Participants experienced a greater social connectedness with others in their community through taking part in regular structured music and movement sessions.
2. Participants increased their existing instrumental and musical skills
3. Participants had an increased sense of wellbeing through participating in a community music and movement project
4. Participants increased their regular physical activity as a result of attending the project
5. Participants experienced greater enjoyment of physical activity as a result of attending the project

 

The Chairman thanked the speakers for their presentations.