At the quarterly meeting of the Avon and Somerset Police Performance and Accountability Board, the Chief Constable, Sarah Crew, answered questions from Police Crime Commissioner, Mark Shelford.
At the beginning of the meeting, the PCC gave an update regarding his recent proposal to increase the Police precept on the Council Tax by £15 a year for the average band D household.
The PCC then sought reassurance from the Chief Constable regarding future savings. She said she would continue to explore opportunities to improve productivity, using technology to automate more processes.
Questions then focused on tackling racism, and the force’s journey towards becoming a more representative workforce, noting the struggles to attract Black people to join the police service.
Following this, the PCC asked questions relating to drugs and robbery, with the Chief Constable explaining how greater support was being given to investigating County Lines and other serious crimes through ‘Operation Remedy’.
All of this, she said, was helping Avon and Somerset Police to bring more offenders to justice.
The Curry Rivel Active Travel Group has been working for several years to create a link within the village to a planned car-free route across the Somerset Levels
Two new litter-pick stations have been installed, equipped with litter pickers and reusable bags for anyone to borrow and do their own two-minute clean-up at countryside sites across South Somerset.