Trimdon Parish Councillors met with the County Durham Police and Crime Commissioner for over 90 minutes to raise concerns about policing in the Trimdons area. Topics covered many of those raised by residents and included.
Poor response times in answering 101 calls and online reporting system leading to some residents giving up reporting, thereby leading to under reporting of incidents of antisocial behaviour.
Concerns that having two separate PACT meetings leads to duplication in use of resources and a less coherent picture of crime and antisocial behaviour across the Trimdons.
Concern that Trimdon Colliery and Trimdon Station are policed by a different Police Division (Peterlee) than Trimdon Village and Trimdon (Newton Aycliffe).
The lack of high visibility patrols in the Trimdon villages. Concern that the villages are on the periphery of the two policing areas with most resources being targeted towards Peterlee and Newton Aycliffe, leaving the rural villages vulnerable and under policed.
Some of the items discussed related to operational policing issues, which the PCC said she would raise directly with the Chief Constable.
What was concerning was how many fewer officers Durham had in comparison to its statistical neighbours. Durham had lost 27% of its officers through austerity cuts, whereas many similar sized predominantly rural areas saw a much smaller reduction. Even though the force is currently recruiting over 200 officers, this is less than half the number lost during the austerity cuts. The Forces national settlement is also way less generous than that of similar sized southern regional forces.
The PCC advised residents that they must report all incidents as this is the way that resources are allocated by the area inspectors.
Resources have been made available to address 101 and control room issues and to make online reporting much easier. The PCC also shared information about some of the local schemes and operations being undertaken to target off road bikes and quads.
Importantly, the Trimdons are still a good place to live and our communities are strong.