Column | PCC Mark Shelford – 26/09/2023

Earlier this month, I hosted the first event of our Autumn Councillor Forums for the Bath and North East Somerset (BANES) constituency.

The session was a chance for councillors to gain an overview of my Police and Crime Plan and discuss any areas of concern they have locally.

The Plan outlines specific areas of focus for improvement by the Chief Constable and their officers and staff.

• My four police and crime priorities are:
• Preventing and fighting crime
• Engaging, supporting and working with communities, victims and partner organisations
• Leading the police to be efficient and effective
• Increasing the legitimacy of, and public confidence in, the police and criminal justice system.

Councillors regularly speak to local residents and hear first-hand their thoughts about policing and crime in their areas. Since being PCC, it has been of utmost importance to work with councillors to ensure we are delivering effective and efficient policing across communities.

I’d like to thank all the councillors who were in attendance. The event was an opportunity for BANES councillors to raise and feedback on issues and offer opinions directly to myself and the Bath Neighbourhood Policing Team.

Last week (20th September) I put forward your questions to the Chief Constable Sarah Crew in my monthly Performance and Accountability Board (PAB).

The PAB allows me to raise questions on behalf of local people and is a chance for communities to better understand the decisions being made by Avon and Somerset Police.

Last week we discussed the action taken by Avon and Somerset Police in response to the national call for the checking of officers and police staff against the National Police Database, 101 call times and drop-off rates and the primary framework in which police forces are inspected, known as Police Effectiveness, Efficiency and Legitimacy (PEEL).

I wanted to use this opportunity to highlight the work being done to raise awareness of fraud and cyber scams in Avon and Somerset. Fraud is a crime that can happen to anyone. There are many types of fraud from complex scams that are carried out over a long period of time, to dating scams, mortgage fraud and investment scams.

According to Action Fraud, over the last two months, businesses nationally have lost over £3.8m to remote access fraud. Avon and Somerset Police (ASP) are working with businesses to create better awareness of these cams and train their employees to spot the signs and stop these frauds before they happen.

My Office is working alongside local charity, the Chinese Lantern Project to develop fraud prevention materials translated into both traditional and Simplified Chinese which include specific types of fraud targeting the Chinese community, particularly foreign national students in the UK.

In Avon and Somerset last year, Chinese victims lost a staggering £1.9m to fraud. Considering that fraud is significantly under reported, the true loss will be much higher.

If you think you are being contacted by a fraudster or are a victim of fraud, I urge you to report it to Action Fraud.

You can do this anytime by visiting their website or by calling 0300 123 2040 Monday to Friday 8am – 8pm.