The Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Rupert Matthews has been attending multiple rural events in the last couple of weeks in an effort to meet as many residents as possible.
This is part of a summer of activity being unleashed by Mr Matthews. Talking about being part of many events across the city and two counties, he said: "Before taking office, I made an audacious bid to be ‘one of the most accessible PCCs so that communities can hold me to account and influence the policing approach'. This is all part of that. I want people to know that I'm out there, ready to answer questions and to encourage people to come to find me, talk to me, sign up for my regular updates and newsletters and learn about the great work my office and I are doing to support victims, invest in our communities and ensure the Chief Constable is delivering on the people's priorities."
In June, Mr Matthews and his office were at Alma Bank Farm in Somerby as part of a rural security event providing people with the latest security technology and advice on deterring and preventing crime.
"As with all these events, it's not just about talking. It's also about listening and learning. I need to know what the rural views of policing are in order to drive positive change," added Mr Matthews. "But most of all we want to cut crime. So, it's really important that we make sure that people in different areas receive the very best advice on how best to avoid becoming a victim of crime where they live. The best way to stop crime is to deter it from happening in the first case."
Throughout June, Mr Matthews continued to hold meetings with local elected representatives, stakeholders and members of the public and attended the very first Oakham Pride.
To kick off July, the Commissioner and his team set up at the Leicestershire County Show near Market Harborough. There they handed out crime prevention literature, highlighted the achievements of the Rural Policing team and signed as many people as possible up to the Commissioner's surveys and newsletters.
If you would like to sign up for the Commissioner's regular newsletter, click the link here: Newsletters (pcc.police.uk)
Speaking about the Leicestershire County Show, Mr Matthews said, "Despite the truly awful weather on Saturday, it was a welcome and triumphant return to a long-loved Leicestershire tradition that sadly was closed due to covid over the last couple of years.
"People came from all over the county and beyond to sample food and enjoy the festivities. We were here explaining what my role is, to offer crime prevention advice and ensure that local residents know how to find me, talk to me and help me hold the Police force to account.
My main take away was that rural residents often don't report crimes. But if I am to ensure effective policing in rural communities, they must. If you are a victim of crime and don't report it to the police, then the force cannot look for patterns in rural crime, appropriate resources will not be allocated, and it will be more difficult for me to argue for funding increases from Westminster if the perceive us to be a low crime area."
The Commissioner will be attending numerous other events through the summer and autumn, details of which can be found on the website: www.https://www.leics.pcc.police.uk.
