Clerk’s Report July 2023

Parish Clerk Report for 24^th July 2023

Completed Actions

Copies of all letters and emails will be available to view at the meeting.

• I have published the Annual Governance and Accountability Return on the website and noticeboard (with thanks to Cllr Weaver) in accordance with requirements.
• I have emailed Chris Walpole asking if he will be the auditor for next year.
• I have emailed Josh Scillitoe, Highways Officer, to confirm that we will not be requiring signage in Skaigh Lane and that we would like the parking cones. He will be attending our meeting on 11^th September.
• Rob Taylor, Dartmoor National Park Ranger, has emailed to say that he does not think it would be of benefit for him to attend a public meeting as he would not be able to offer any solutions.
• The electoral register has been updated, 2 deletions and 1 addition, leaving a total of 207.

Police Liaison Meeting

Through Sticklepath Parish Council I was invited to an online police liaison meeting. I was not sure what it was all about, but decided to attend. I was really pleased that I had done. The quarterly meeting is open to all councillors (and clerks) at district, town and parish levels and was hosted by Inspector Chris Conway of Devon and Cornwall Police, together with Sergeant Thomas Ottley, and Claire Birch from CSP. It was a fascinating insight into the work of the police in the West Devon area (Tavistock, Okehampton, Princetown, North Tawton, Hatherleigh, Chagford and associated villages and countryside, 450 square miles). The area is covered by 50 officers and staff. Insp. Conway was honest, open and informative. In brief he covered:

• Okehampton Police Station will re-open within the next 8 months, probably weekday mornings, manned by a civilian member of staff that they are recruiting.
• They are trying to improve their interaction with the public, and can be followed on Facebook, Twitter and in written communications such as Oke Links and a newsletter.
• West Devon has the lowest crime rate (per 1000 people) in Devon and Cornwall, e.g. 2.4 anti-social behaviour reports compared with an average of 4.4. Resourcing is allocated by the crime rate.
• West Devon also has the highest firearms registration. They have introduced enhanced checks since the murder in Plymouth, so there is a backlog of firearm licence renewals; people are encouraged to apply early.
• They are implementing a ‘red time’ policy, so that all officers are out in the community at critical times such as midnight to 3am, after football matches and commuting times.
• They are implementing a ‘Primary tasking’ policy, so that all officers are aware of current priorities, such as anti-social behaviour in Okehampton and drug dealing in Tavistock, so that they are all on the look-out for information that could forward those enquiries.
• They are implementing ‘Green Routes’, specific problem areas that will always be covered when patrolling.
• They have cadets who can support local events, and aim to have an officer presence at any event with over 1,000 people.
• They are struggling to bring down the backlog of email, and apologise for the unacceptable response times on email and phone. The enquiries are triaged by their initial description of subject, so important items should be dealt with quickly.
• The web chat is manned by the same people as the 101 phone team at the same time.
• It would help if people had all the information that was needed in the initial contact, e.g. dates and times, registration numbers, contact details of witnesses.

The CSP representative also described the work that they do. They are responsible for ‘Let’s Talk Teenagers’, there will be a primary school version in the autumn. They are also looking for ways to engage with dads and male carers. They have information to combat stalking, domestic abuse and exploitation. Money is available from criminal assets to fund mental health and community interest projects.

There are also teams of Community Payback workers available to help with projects at a price.

There was the opportunity to ask questions and raise interests.

The next meeting is on Wednesday September 6^th. I highly recommend that at least one councillor should attend.

Planning

• Sticklepath Parish Council have received a planning application from White House Service Station for “Installation of six electric vehicle charging bays, three charging units, a substation enclosure and associated electrical equipment”. I add this for Councillor’s information, as we do not usually comment on planning applications for neighbouring parishes. Sticklepath Parish Council will be discussing this on 17^th July, so I will be able to report their response at the meeting if required.