Getting to know you! Our local police team…

1st March 2024 Totnes Police

We have self-imposed remits here at Totnes Pulse Towers. One is to improve communications throughout our community. To that end we have invited our local cops to connect regularly with the citizens of this lawless town. Let’s start…

Update from Inspector Ben Shardlow, Devon & Cornwall Police

“I’ve worked in policing for nearly 20 years now and next month I will have been an Inspector for South Hams for two years.
I head up the neighbourhood policing team who work very closely in the community of Totnes. Our team play a different role to emergency response officers and serious crime investigators. Just some of the neighbourhood teams responsibilities include carrying out high visibility foot patrols, addressing and investigating long-term problems in the area and connecting with people in the community during our engagement sessions.”

Listening

An important part of my role as Inspector is to listen to the voices of people in our community. Understanding local concerns and issues in Totnes means I can direct my neighbourhood teams. Focus resources on priorities to help keep our community safe. So, it’s key that the public continue to engage with local police officers to report crime and community intelligence in their area.

As well as focusing on wider priorities such as domestic violence and drugs, we also have localised priorities – two recent ones that have been identified are graffiti and drinking in public places.

Tagging and Graffiti

Graffiti in Totnes — Yeah, but is it art?

We’ve seen an increase of graffiti tags across the town, popping up on various public and private spaces. This is an issue we are taking seriously and are currently investigating. We’re asking our local community for help – if you see anyone who is graffitiing or if you have any information about who is behind the graffiti, please report it to us. You can report it by filling out a report online or by calling 101. You can also submit an anonymous report through Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111.

Public Order

The other priority we are targeting is antisocial behaviour and violence linked to drinking in public places in the town centre. We are aware of the impact that this can have on our community. To tackle these issues, our neighbourhood officers will be stepping up their foot patrols around the town centre during daytimes and evenings. By being proactive, we aim to improve our visibility. Both as a reassurance to the public, but also as a deterrent to any potential offenders looking to commit crime.

Let’s Talk

As always, I would like to encourage our community to continue to speak with our officers. We have regular meetings where you can come along and meet our team face-to-face. It’s a great opportunity for people to ask us questions and for us to understand more about issues affecting our local community.”