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Newsletter Snippets
Town Mayor 2010/2011
Councillor Michael Morse was appointed Mayor of Okehampton for the council year 2010-2011 at the Mayor Choosing Ceremony held on 12 May and Councillor Mrs Maureen McDonald was appointed Deputy Mayor.
The Mayor's chosen charities for the year will be The Museum of Dartmoor Life and The Puzzle Tree in Okehampton.
Mayor & Mayoress of Okehampton 2010-2011, Councillor Michael and Mrs Mary Morse
at the Mayor Choosing Ceremony with Mace Bearers Basil Jones & David Hollinshead
'Now that the dust has settled after the General Election and the new government has been formed, decisions will soon be made on how to reduce spending. What is likely is that public sector organisations will have to make fundamental changes in order to save money and provide best value to the public. Devon and Cornwall Constabulary has been reviewing all areas of how we do business to ensure that we are providing best value and identifying where we can make savings without impacting on the service we provide.
Operation Quest was a Home Office initiative that started in 2009 and helped police forces establish more effective ways of working, providing a better service and freeing up officer and staff time. Some of this freed up time has been used to increase visible patrols and proactively target resources in areas where we have been told by the community there are problems such as anti-social behaviour. Quest is now self sustaining within the Force and continues to look at ways of improving efficiency.
The Constabulary is also carrying out a number of other internal audits to determine the most effective way of delivering policing priorities and one such area being examined is our enquiry offices. A team has been considering issues such as opening times, locations and working in partnership with other partner agencies in 'one-stop shop' premises. Part of the process involves consultation with our communities so that public opinion and demand can form the basis for the decisions the team makes.
Within the South Hams and West Devon Local Policing Area the starting point for this consultation will be based on the premise that our front enquiry offices will be open to the public for 25 hours each week. This is intentionally lower than our current opening hours with the aim of focusing individuals' minds on identifying the times that are most important to them and their communities. A survey sheet and frequently asked questions have been produced and I would be really grateful if you could consult with your communities and use the 25 hours for the opening times that would be most benefit to you. If you could then complete section 2 of the survey form and return it by email or post this can then be used in determining future options. My neighbourhood teams will also be carrying out consultation so I apologise in advance if there is any duplication.
As with most things there is a deadline for returns and in this instance there is a requirement for a quick turn around with completed surveys being due by 28 May. I do understand that you have other commitments and priorities, but if you are able to return the survey by the deadline it would be most appreciated.
For South Hams and West Devon the results are being collated by Sgt Dave Green at Dartmouth Police Station. Completed surveys could be returned to him by post to Dartmouth Police Station, Mayors Avenue, Dartmouth or email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
I would also like to reassure you and your communities that this process is only looking at opening times of our enquiry offices and it does not affect the 24/7 policing provided by our patrol and neighbourhood teams.
On the weekend of 8th and 9th May, the 50th Ten Tors event was held and on Sunday HRH the Duke of Edinburgh attended. Whilst Ten Tors is primarily run and organised by the military, West Devon police are involved during the planning stages and are present throughout the weekend. This year the weather was cold and on the Saturday damp and misty but even so, a substantial majority of the young people participating successfully completed the walk. To achieve that they would have trained hard over several months, worked together as a team and learnt new skills. A lot of bad press is directed at young people in our communities, some of it justified, but an event like Ten Tors is a good reminder of their positive qualities. To see teams of very tired children cross the finish line in front of proud and emotional parents is extremely uplifting.
Many of the military personnel are there on a voluntary basis and other voluntary agencies such as the Dartmoor Rescue Group and St John Ambulance are crucial to the successful running of the event. In the late 1970's as a teenager at school in Devon I didn't give any thought to taking part so feel fortunate now that many years later I have the opportunity to contribute in a small way to an event that is a credit to everyone involved.
Finally if you have any questions regarding the enquiry office review please give me a call or email me and I will try and answer them to the best of my ability.'
Inspector David Hammond