Agenda item

To receive an update from PCSO Michelle Haimes on local neighbourhood beat matters.

PCSO Michelle Haimes was present at the meeting and provided an update from the Exmoor Neighbourhood Beat team as follows:-

“I would like to start with an update for a protracted case that the Exmoor team have been dealing with, which was mentioned briefly at the last meeting in January.

Starting at the end of August we received numerous reports that a local male in Dulverton was causing a substantial amount of Anti-Social Behaviour in the town.

Unfortunately, this one person took up most of our time, which is why it may have seemed we were not as visible to everyone as we would normally like to be. All this work, we feel, has led to a positive result.

The male in question was subsequently charged with three counts of harassment and one public order.

He appeared in Court on 7 Feb, where he pleaded guilty to two of the charges and not guilty to the other two. He will stand trial on 18 April.

Many of the other reports that were brought to our attention were used as evidence to gain a Community Protection Notice on him. This has been served and will be in place until 8 February 2025.

This has clearly not yet reached its conclusion, and we are hoping for more positive news after the trial. Whilst this is still going through the court process, we cannot give the name of the male.

Other crime of note.

1 - 11/01 – Theft from van at Timberscombe with approximately £8000 of power tools stolen.

2 - 12/01 – Burglary at Brushford where several chainsaws were stolen. Possible suspect vehicle seen by a nearby resident, but police were not called!

3 - 17/01 – Burglary at Allerford where power tools and a bike were stolen.

4 - 17/01 – Burglary at Porlock Weir. High value E-bikes stolen.

5 - 19/01 – Burglary at pub in Porlock. Alcohol stolen.

6 - 27/01 – Attempt burglary Porlock.

7 - 01/02 – Burglary at Winsford. Garden tools stolen.

8 - 01/02 – Theft from vehicle at Dunster. Number plates stolen.

9 - 11/02 – Burglary, Dulverton. Unoccupied house entered. Items stolen.

10 - 12/02 – Burglary at Winsford. Stables entered and items stolen. Possibly linked to #7.

11 – 14/02 – Burglary, Dulverton. Same location as #9.

These have been non-dwelling burglaries overall. Numbers 9 and 11 at the same location are an unoccupied house. A possible offender has been identified for these and enquiries are ongoing.

I have focused on these as I feel it is important to stress to everybody that your security is reviewed regularly.

For people unfortunate enough to have been a victim of a crime like this, we have property marker kits that we provide. We can also refer people to our “Be Home Safe Team.” These will be done on a case-by-case basis.

We also have our Horse Watch and Farm Watch schemes. These can be an invaluable source of information as alerts are sent to members when crimes such as the ones mentioned here have taken place. If you want more information or would like to sign up, please ask”.

Comments arising:-

Christine Dubery, Dulverton TC thanked PCSO Haimes for the police work which led to the arrest of the harassment suspect.

Andrew Bray from Wootton Courtenay PC asked if there was any further update on the wanted person – Richard Scatchard from Minehead? PCSO Haimes said enquiries were ongoing but there were no updates at the present time.

Mike Ellicott, Exford PC – the public conveniences in the village had been subjected to ongoing vandalism recently, which was proving costly to repair. PCSO advised that the police had not received any reports on this. Mike Ellicott said that he would ensure a police report was filed ASAP.

PCSO Michelle Haimes was thanked for her attendance and then left the meeting.