Police Constables recently appointed to the electoral ward areas of Douglas were invited to the Town Hall to meet Borough Council members and officers on Friday 26th March.
Part of the session included informal discussions on ward issues and an opportunity for contact points to be established.
Inspector Ken Kneale, Chair of the Douglas Community Safety Partnership (DCSP), outlined to Council members that the DCSP recognised effective neighbourhood policing for Douglas required a consistent presence of accessible officers at ward level, gathering knowledge from the community on the issues which affect their quality of life.
He advised that joint action with the community and partner agencies to improve the local environment and quality of life were central to the aim of the DCSP.
He also said that he was pleased that his own agency had been able to support the Partnership aim by providing the Borough with a single neighbourhood policing team.
In effect, the depth of policing activity within the Borough had increased substantially with the reactive teams remaining available 24 hours per day but with the additional provision of dedicated staff for addressing targeted issues within the wards over the longer term.
Inspector Kneale continued, "Joint action with DCSP agencies to solve problems can now be much more effectively co-ordinated and we are in the process of altering or amending operational partner meetings to ensure that the responses at both operational and strategic level are aligned.
"As ever, I am grateful for the support received from the Borough Council and agencies of the Douglas Community Safety Partnership as we all strive to improve quality of life within Douglas."
Council leader David Christian said, "Meeting with Inspector Kneale and his fellow officers was yet a further demonstration of the strength of commitment and the common goals shared by all agencies signed up to the Douglas Community Safety Partnership.
"Appointing police officers to each Ward complements the Council’s practice of making regular ward visits in association with DSCP representatives.
"These strategies are an effective means of connecting at grass-roots level with the Douglas community and gaining first-hand understanding of where, together, we may be able to improve aspects of the local infrastructure and environmental quality.
"In summary, the Council fully supports community-based policing which we see as key to addressing and resolving community issues."
