On the Beat: Inspector Lee Kerslake’s community update on Neighbourhood Policing in Weston

“Welcome to the first of our regular updates from the Weston Neighbourhood Policing Team.”

Inspector Lee Kerslake (Photo: Avon & Somerset Police)

“Weston, like any busy town, presents a wide range of policing challenges. Every day we respond to calls ranging from domestic abuse and burglaries to road traffic collisions, missing people, anti-social behaviour and neighbour disputes. The list could easily fill this entire article, which would probably make for a fairly boring read, so I'll move on...

Our day starts with a briefing, where we discuss the immediate challenges and allocate resources accordingly.

Alongside responding to new calls from the public, officers and staff are assigned to prisoners still in custody, ongoing missing person enquiries and other urgent investigations.

Our investigation teams play a vital role in helping free up neighbourhood and patrol officers to remain visible and respond to incidents across the town.

Even with that support, demand remains high, meaning we constantly have to assess risk and prioritise those incidents where people are most vulnerable or at greatest risk of harm.

Prioritisation is a word used a lot in policing.

Behind every decision are conversations between officers and staff, sharing intelligence, debating tactics and working out how best to locate those causing the greatest harm and protect the people who need us most.

Alongside the calls coming in each day, there are longer-term challenges too.

Persistent offenders, organised crime, anti-social behaviour, crime series and occasional community tensions all require sustained work behind the scenes.

In recent months Op Sceptre saw police tackling knife crime and serious violence (Photo: Avon & Somerset Police)

Tackling these issues isn't something the police can do alone, which is why the partnerships we have with other agencies and the wider community are so important.

I have worked in a number of areas and roles across the country during my policing career. One thing that stands out here more than anywhere else I've worked is the passion of the people and organisations who care about Weston.

From North Somerset Council's Community Safety, Youth Justice, Social Care and Trading Standards teams, to colleagues across the emergency services and many other partner organisations, we're fortunate to work alongside professionals who genuinely care about making Weston a better place.

Those partnerships have delivered some fantastic results in recent years, from closing premises linked to criminality and seizing hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of criminal assets, to securing criminal behaviour orders and helping bring offenders to justice.

Just recently, officers secured a 30-week prison sentence for a prolific offender responsible for repeatedly breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order and committing shop thefts – a positive outcome for the local community following months of determined work by the team.

Christopher John, of Weston-super-Mare, has today been sentenced to 30 weeks’ imprisonment at North Somerset Magistrates’ Court. The sentence was imposed for multiple breaches of a Criminal Behaviour Order, alongside an offence of shop theft. (Photo: Avon & Somerset Police)

The local Neighbourhood Policing Team welcomes this outcome and reaffirms its commitment to tackling persistent anti-social behaviour and criminality. Officers will continue to take firm and proactive action against those who seek to harm the safety and wellbeing of our communities.

As I spend time walking around Weston each day, the scale of the town quickly puts our challenges into perspective.

Seeing the High Street and seafront busy on a summer's day, with thousands of people enjoying everything this historic town has to offer, reminds me of something we often say in our community and partnership meetings: Weston is a safe town. It's a place blessed with wonderful scenery and filled with people who care deeply about where they live, all working hard to ensure Weston continues to play its important role at the heart of North Somerset.

The local policing team is proud to be one of those advocates for Weston. We see the challenges up close every day, but we also see kindness, resilience and community spirit. Those positives will always outweigh the negatives, and we'll continue working alongside our partners and local communities to keep Weston a safe place to live, work and visit.

To find out more about your local neighbourhood policing team, including our priorities, upcoming community engagement events and how to get in touch, visit Your area | Avon and Somerset Police.

You can also follow the North Somerset Neighbourhood Policing Facebook page for regular updates on the work we're doing across the area.”