October 2018
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News Parish councillors raise concerns over “lack of police resources” in Stoke Gifford
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arish councillors in Stoke Gifford have raised concerns over policing levels after it emerged that the local beat team currently has just one member of staff on active duty. A meeting of the Community Engagement Forum in March L-r: PC Julie Rudyard; Cllr Cranney was told by Chief Inspector Mark Evans that beat manager policing in the local area”. PC Julie Rudyard was currently In his letter to the PCC, the the sole officer covering Stoke clerk wrote: “There have been Gifford because one of the two numerous staffing changes PCSOs assigned to the beat was over a number of years, leading on maternity leave and the other to instability amongst the was unavailable. neighbourhood team, with The matter surfaced again councillors questioning the at a parish council meeting in commitment to neighbourhood April, when Cllr Keith Cranney policing in the immediate area.” raised concerns about “the lack “At the time of writing we are of police resources in the Stoke grateful for the support offered Gifford police beat team”. The by our beat manager, Julie parish clerk was requested to Rudyard, who is seen by the write to the Police and Crime council as an excellent police Commissioner (PCC) for Avon officer for the local community.” and Somerset, Sue Mountstevens, “I would be grateful for the “about the force’s future opportunity to discuss these BSJ switch on 1 commitment to ad.qxp_Layout neighbourhood1 12/09/2018 concerns 10:09 in morePage detail.”
Response from Sue Mountstevens, Police and Crime Commissioner Thank you for your email raising concerns regarding police staffing levels in the Stoke Gifford area. As you know, following consultation I raised the council tax precept for policing by £1 a month last year for an average house. This has allowed us to focus significant resources on recruitment – we are planning to recruit an extra 300 police officers this year and also to ensure that PCSO numbers are maintained at the full budgeted level. In terms of the specific position in Stoke Gifford, I have taken the action of requesting a briefing from Sergeant Stephen Ives, of the Neighbourhood Policing Team. He has confirmed that there have been absences due to long-term sickness, but he has assured me that he does not believe that the Beat has suffered disproportionately as a result because his own team at Patchway has covered any issues that have arisen. Going forward, it is expected that there will be a return to full staffing levels and there are no plans to reduce the policing team numbers dedicated to the Stoke Gifford and Little Stoke beat areas. If the parish council have any specific issues they wish to raise with the Neighbourhood Policing Team then please do not hesitate to contact Sergeant Ives direct.
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