KEEPING LONG BUCKBY SAFE & INFORMED

Open meeting – Tuesday 25 September 2018 at 7pm Long Buckby United Reformed Church, Brington Road
 
Following a presentation I gave to the Annual Meeting of your Parish Council earlier in the year, and conversations, queries, questions and challenges which took place both after I left, and since, I have been asked if I would support an open meeting for anyone from the Long Buckby community who would like to come. As your Neighbourhood Sergeant, I see it a key part of my role to offer that support in helping you to help the police keep your village safe - now and in the years ahead. So I have given a happy ‘yes’ to the invitation and have facilitated other contributors too.
 
This will be a positive opportunity to talk freely and to take your questions and comments on any aspect of the agenda for the meeting which has been organised by Rachel Dobbs (who has the privilege and burden of being my sister - and both a critic and supporter of policing at the same time.) In fact, since the public meeting Rachel has been passionate about trying to get to the bottom of a number of issues. Arranged in her private capacity, this meeting will hopefully unpack a number of those issues, ‘from the horse’s mouth’ and allow for mutual candour between the speakers and those who might wish to attend. To that end, it is good to hear that the meeting will be chaired and facilitated independently by Martin Heath, whose brief will be to ensure that the event is well and fairly managed and he certainly will have my permission to be appropriately challenging of us if he thinks questions are not answered or points are fudged. I understand that our MP also intends to come along, so this meeting should be energetic and informed.
 
The topics we have been asked to cover are shown overleaf, and I encourage anyone who has an interest in policing and safety in the neighbourhood of Long Buckby to come along. The doors will be open at 6.30pm. I understand that Market Square may be inaccessible due to a Fair, so bear this in mind if you would normally park there.
 
In the view of us involved, the main measure of the success of this meeting is not that everyone would agree on everything but would be that people leave better informed.

 ‘COUNTY LINES’ – contribution by Detective Chief Inspector Lee McBride, the force’s lead on gangs and this national phenomenon. Lee has been asked to talk about the relevance of people knowing about this subject in Long Buckby particularly at this time
 
 NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH – Andy Crisp, from the county NHW organisation, will be present with information about the scheme and to take any questions. We would love to resurrect the NHW scheme in Long Buckby
 
 NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING – Sgt Sam Dobbs - what we do now, our policing limits and challenges, developing issues and building on points covered in the Annual Meeting earlier in the year
 
 ENHANCING THE POLICING OFFER – Sgt Sam Dobbs and Emily Evans (from the Office of Police & Crime Commissioner) – an overview of schemes for communities who wish to subscribe to initiatives approved by the Police & Crime Commission. This will include myth-busting and clarity on new local sponsorship of PCSOs and we hope to have sponsored and conventionally funded PCSOs present, as well as some current sponsors.
 
 ANY QUESTIONS – time to take your questions and views. If you cannot attend, or would rather not field a question in public, please email your question to racheldobbslb@gmail.com, and she will pass these questions to Martin Heath
 
It is rare that these events are arranged or take place like this so I hope it will be informative and useful to those of us asked to come, as well as you from the Long Buckby community who can attend. I see it a key part of our community engagement and the police doing ‘stuff’ with you and not to you.
 
I welcome and look forward to more of the energy I have been made aware of in your community and look forward to seeing as many as can come next Tuesday.
 
In the meantime, a shameless plug follows from me – please follow us on social media, check out the police website and if you don’t yet subscribe to our Neighbourhood Alert scheme, we can sign you up at the meeting, or if you drop an email to neighbourhoodteamdaventry@northants.police.uk
 
Finally, if you would like to play a part in setting our local policing priorities, please go to www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/daventryandsouth
 
Yours sincerely
 
  
SAM DOBBS - Neighbourhood Sergeant