New community policeman for Sticklepath
THERE is a new man at the helm of the community policing team in the Sticklepath area of Barnstaple. PC Richard Pearson has taken over as Beat Manager for the area covering Sticklepath, Roundswell, Lake and Tawstock. A policeman for six years, Richard, 33
THERE is a new man at the helm of the community policing team in the Sticklepath area of Barnstaple. PC Richard Pearson has taken over as Beat Manager for the area covering Sticklepath, Roundswell, Lake and Tawstock.
A policeman for six years, Richard, 33, has come to North Devon from Yorkshire, starting out his career in Sheffield. He transferred to the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary in 2007 and served two years in Ilfracombe before taking up his new position at the beginning of this year.
A sportsman, he lists football, cycling and running as his main interests and also plays tennis at the Tarka Centre and is a member of the North Devon Police cricket team.
Richard joins the familiar face of PCSO Tony Charles, who has been covering the Sticklepath area for the past four years.
Together they take on the concerns of the local community in what is a diverse area.
Operating from a satellite office at the Sticklepath Children's Centre at Woodville they are at the heart of the community.
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They have special links with the local nursery and primary schools as well as building links with the nearby Petroc College.
Their patch also takes in the surrounding large residential estates, the retail parks and the rural areas of Lake and Tawstock, providing them with varied duties.
They walk their beats regularly to provide as visible a presence and meet as many people as they can, while also holding drop-in surgeries at their office on the second Tuesday of each month from 2pm-3pm.
Like other beat officers throughout the region, they now also have the advantages of the hi-tech age and can also be contacted via the police website. This allows local people to get regularly updated news and information about policing in their area and details of useful organisations such as councils, housing associations and others, simply by entering their postcode.
Through feedback from the public and from the Police and Communities Together partnership of local groups and organisations, the main concerns of residents can be prioritised.
Current priorities being addressed in the Sticklepath area are concerns about young people drinking in the underpasses at Brynsworthy and Roundswell, inconsiderate parking in the streets around Petroc and motorists ignoring the traffic ban between 7.30am and 9.30am at the Bickington Road and Ellerslie Road junction.
