Bite sized police training for councillors to return

Police are to bring back training sessions for councillors to help them tackle crime after funding cuts left them feeling less than happy earlier this year.

Torridge district councillors who attended specialised bite-sized training courses learnt how to recognise signs of county line drugs operations and modern slavery to help police build intelligence.

Cllr Cheryl Cottle Hunkin (Lib Dem, Torridge, Shebbear and Langtree ) said it was especially beneficial for new councillors.

At a meeting of North Devon and Torridge community safety partnership, the chairman, police superintendent for North and West Devon Toby Davies, said he would be resurrecting the course in 2024.

“We need to bring it back,” he said after saying that the partnership between Torridge and North Devon councils and the local police had been the most successful throughout the force in providing intelligence to stop county lines activity.

He said there was a range of resources available to deliver the training and in the next two weeks the two councils’ customer services staff and forward-facing staff were getting help from the police in dealing with difficult customers.

“I am happy to reinstate the bite-sized training for councillors, you just tell me the topics you want,” he told councillors.