Police Update

Written by PC Serena Serjeant

Here we are again, wow this year is just whizzing by! Summer is now upon us and we are getting ready to deal with the demand on policing that follows the lighter nights and warmer weather. We are looking forward to seeing many of you out and about in our vibrant buzzing community. We have been busy on the Ashley Ward Neighbourhood Policing Team with lots of fantastic engagement. We have recently helped fund a free six week drumming course for primary aged children in collaboration with Dance Music Arts Collective (DMAC UK), this has been great positive work with our local young people and we hope there may be an end performance in the coming weeks. You may also see a few of us also drumming away, officers truly on the beat! We hope to run a further course in the near future, so watch this space! We have also been continuing our sports sessions at Dolphin and St Werburghs Primary schools where the team play football with the children and help build trust and confidence and also have many other school and nursery visits planned.

There are lots of ‘talk to us’ events planned at St Andrews Park and St Agnes Park, please go onto the force website www.avonandsomerset.police. uk for details of these events and we will look forward to seeing you there. The team are hoping to liaise further with Bristol Drugs Project and Bristol City Council in relation to the ongoing drug dealing and taking in areas such as St Agnes Park, Bath Buildings and Winkworth place. We hope to try and engage with drug users and signpost them to get the support that they need and also target areas to relieve problems that local residents are facing. In the coming weeks we will also be carrying out E-scooter operations and traffic events to give educational advice about issues such as seat belts, children’s car seats, speeding and safety.You may have seen many of our PCs and PCSOs out on E-bikes, this is a great way of getting around the beat quickly. Please do stop the team for a chat, if you need to report an incident or if you would just like to say hello.

We also have more news! Four of our PCSOs on the Ashley Neighbourhood Policing Team have successfully got through the application process to become police officers. This is fantastic news for them and I am really proud of these officers, but we will really miss them. Please don’t be concerned though, we already have new officers in place who are out on the beat learning about the area and who are enjoying getting to know the community.

I am also in the process of setting up a Bristol East Women’s Network, this is going to be a meeting for women of Bristol East to come together and discuss topical issues affecting women and girls within our community in a relaxed environment. It will also help community members get to know the female Police officers at Trinity Road - Inspector Catherine Leigh and Maz Collacott-Nurr Sergeant for Easton will also be there, so if this is something you would be interested in being part of, please get in touch. Take care, Serena PS Serjeant Ashley Neighbourhood Team