Police crime 'surgeries' to take place in Rutland this week
Leicestershire Police hope the scheme will improve communication between the force and people in the county
Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Rani Mahal will be in Rutland on Tuesday 13th February, for the first of two 'surgery style' meetings with parish councillors.
Representatives from parish councils will have the chance to raise local community safety issues, while it's hoped the meetings will provide police with more information needed to tackle rural crime.
Following a launch of the scheme at Police Headquarters, to which representatives from each parish council were invited, Deputy PCC Rani Mahal said:
"These surgeries give me the opportunity to hear first-hand about the community safety issues that affect local communities. We totally understand that while some problems are universal, every area has different, and sometimes unique, issues.
"I met several Parish Councillors and their representatives this week, and we are now busy feeding back what we have learned to the relevant people, some of which are police officers and some of which are from our partners in local authorities.
"I was pleased to hear that the people attending this first surgery were pleased with how it went and grateful for the opportunity, which makes it very worthwhile. The questions raised covered issues such as road safety and anti-social behaviour, but we also had concerns that were specific to individual parishes.
"I understand that the other surgeries are filling up quickly, which highlights that there is a need for this type of communication."
Police and Crime Commissioner, Rupert Matthews, said:
'With the advent of artificial intelligence, it's much easier to study patterns; to make predictions; spot growing trends.'
'It's far easier to do that now than it's ever been before, but it depends on getting a steady flow of information coming in from the public.'
'So this is designed to improve communication between people in rural areas, working through their parish councils, with my office and with the police.
'Therefore we can make better predictions about how crime is developing and how crime can be stopped.'
The second meeting will take place in Rutland on March 15th.