Having fortified myself with a wonderful Danish Pasty in Scandimania, in Uppingham’s Market Place, I ventured out to look for the new WebCam keeping an eye on things in the town centre.
I couldn’t see it anywhere, so I popped into the Post Office to ask. The lady behind the counter wasn’t sure, but thought it might be over the hairdressers opposite. She did, however, want to praise the social media accounts run by the Rutland Police. “They are so informative,” she told me, “that I check them pretty much every day.”
Over at the hairdressers, they did know and pointed me to the wall high up above The Vaults. The camera was tiny. No wonder I’d missed it. The webcame is run by Uppingham First, which was established with the support of Uppingham Town Council. Uppingham First has taken a proactive role in fostering economic growth, enhancing local amenities, and creating a vibrant, sustainable environment for residents and businesses alike. You can view the webcam live here: https://uppinghamfirst.co.uk/webcam/
I then retreated to the Falcon Hotel to meet with council staff responsible for community safety across Rutland. We talked about different ways that we and our offices could work together to ensure safe and prosperous communities, and agreed that much would depend on what funding was available from the national government.
My next appointment was with Dr Sarah Furness, the Lord Lieutenant of Rutland. I met her in the snug of the George Hotel in Oakham. She was most concerned about a rise in drug offences across Rutland, and wanted to know how she could help my office keep youngsters away from drifting into crime and bad behaviour. I promised to keep her in the loop in upcoming projects.
Next I headed to the Oakham Police Station for two radio interviews. The first was with Greatest Hits Radio, who wanted to talk to me about action I was taking to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls [VAWG]. The second was with Rutland and Stamford Sound – who had seen my earlier social media posts from Uppingham and wanted to chat to me about Rutland issues generally.
Then it was off to Ashwell. This is a quiet village, but crime and anti-social behaviour do happen here. I found a gent tinkering with a motorcycle on his driveway. He confirmed the village was lovely, and chatted about issues in Oakham, where he goes to shop and socialise. A passing lady came over to chat, and when she realised who I was told me that a couple of nights earlier her apple tree had been stripped of its entire crop. “They are beautiful bramleys,” she told me. “Its annoying for me, but really bad for the neighbours and charities. Every year I bake pies to fund raise. But not this year.” And so apparently minor crimes can have a serious impact on a community.
Back to Oakham to meet with Cllr Waller, Leader of the County Council. We talked about some issues relating to liaison between the county council, my office and the police. Hopefully we can sort those out quickly. Our conversation also covered issues about drugs, retail theft and relations with the county’s parish councils.
