Minehead in focus: listening and building safer communities
Last Friday (August 8), I spent the day in Minehead meeting residents, businesses, and local leaders to hear first-hand about the issues that matter most to West Somerset. It was an insightful day, reinforcing my on-going commitment to listen to the voice of local people, working in partnership and tackling the challenges our communities in West Somerset face.
Morning at Minehead Police Station
The day began at Minehead Police Station, where I met with officers including Sergeant Naomi Baker. These conversations were invaluable in understanding the local policing landscape and the daily challenges faced by our officers.
I also joined a virtual meeting of the Home Office and Ministry of Justice’s Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy Advisory Board, an area that remains a top priority for me.
Visiting Minehead Eye
From there, I visited Minehead Eye, a vibrant social enterprise delivering youth services and community projects across West Somerset. Chief Executive Paul Matchman gave me a tour of the centre and introduced me to young people benefiting from its programmes.
Minehead Eye is a true community asset, offering engaging activities across music, media, sports and the arts that build resilience, well-being, and aspiration. Their work aligns closely with my priorities around crime prevention and tackling serious youth violence.
Walking the esplanade with local leaders
In the afternoon, I joined Rachel Gilmour MP for Tiverton and Minehead, Sgt Naomi Baker, and Minehead’s Mayor Craig Palmer and Deputy Mayor Anne Lawton for a walk along the esplanade.
We visited local shops and spoke with residents and business owners about anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. These conversations reinforced the importance of visible policing and strong community engagement. One stop was Café Bar 21, a business recently in the spotlight over ASB concerns, where I heard directly from those affected.
Tackling rural crime
We concluded the day at Hindon Organic Farm, run by Chris Webber, where we discussed rural crime with Emily Martin from the National Farmers’ Union. Organised criminal activity targeting farms is a growing concern, but the Avon and Somerset dedicated rural crime team is actively working to address it.
Building safer streets
This was an opportunity to be out with Rachel, hearing directly from her constituents, my residents, about the issues that they face, whether it is anti social behaviour, shoplifting or something else. I am pleased that we are running the Safer Streets Summer campaign as part of the Your Streets, My Priority campaign. This is a vital step in responding to the concerns raised and building safer and secure communities. But police can only act if they are made aware of crime incidents so I encourage everyone to report.