Birchwood beat surgeries continue

Officers have hosted the latest in their series of Birchwood beat surgeries.

Beat surgeries give locals an opportunity to meet their neighbourhood police officers face-to-face to chat about any concerns and pick up crime prevention advice.

On Saturday 24 August, PCs Andrew Dockerill and Darren Turner hosted a beat surgery at Birchwood Leisure Centre in Longmead.

They spoke to residents and gave advice about vehicle security, criminal damage and anti-social behaviour.

The officers also provided details around useful phone apps such as What 3 Words and Hollie Guard.

What 3 Words allows the emergency services to pinpoint the exact location of somebody calling for help whilst Hollie Guard is a personal safety app, created in memory of a young woman who was killed by her ex boyfriend.

PC Andrew Dockerill said: “We would definitely recommend downloading these useful phone apps. What 3 Words could help save your life in an emergency, especially if you are in a rural area or somewhere that’s difficult to find.

“Hollie Guard has lots of useful features such as allowing you to send alerts if you feel in danger.

“Beat surgeries are always a great way to find out about the public’s views. During our latest event, we also spoke with a local councillor and made further arrangements for partnership working in the town centre to tackle anti-social behaviour.

“Please do come along to our next surgery if you can.”

A number of other surgeries are planned throughout the rest of the year, all taking place at Birchwood Leisure Centre in Longmead. The dates are:

• Saturday 5 October - 11am-2pm
• Saturday 16 November - 11am-2pm
• Saturday 28 December - 11am-2pm

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