BUCKFASTLEIGH Community Day last Wednesday was an occasion when residents could voice their problems – whether relating to anti-social behaviour, housing, social services, youth facilities or traffic – straight to the horse's mouth.
The event was organised by the local beat manager, PC Alison Hooper, and intended to raise the profile of different agencies and publicise their services. Representatives were on hand from the police force, Teignbridge community wardens, housing and highways departments, Devon Youth Services, social services and town councillors.
The event was well advertised in the press and on radio and it was held at a time and day most likely to fit in with people's diaries.
But, despite that, residents stayed away in droves. Police spokesman PC Owen Rockey said that only 30 people turned up, far fewer than expected. And now he has said it was up to the community to get involved in solving its problems.
'We did expect a better response from the public. There is a certain amount of apathy to helping us to resolve their issues. We need the public to help us to help them. The community is disinterested.' From the agencies' point of view, he said the event was a success as it gave them a chance to talk to each other.
The police have come in for criticism for not having a higher presence in the town to counter problems of anti-social behaviour. PC Rockey said it would be 'absolutely brilliant' if more officers were available but said that PCSOs and Teignbridge community wardens were now patrolling the streets on Friday and Saturday nights, which would be extended to Sundays in the run-up to Christmas.
The main issue in Buckfastleigh, he said, as in other rural areas, was a small minority of youngsters, many of them under-age, indulging in alcohol-fuelled sprees of criminal damage and violence on Friday nights.
Mike Stephens, head of Devon Youth Services in Teignbridge, agreed that apathy was a problem but disagreed about the causes. Portrayals of Buckfastleigh as a community out of control were wide of the mark. 'Where it was a year ago and where it is now, is a great improvement,' he said.
He put the lack of interest down to anger at the obstacles put in the way of people trying to contact the authorities. The MDA itself, in order to get a police comment, after failing to get through to their Exeter press office and failing to get any response from Ashburton or Chudleigh police stations, managed to leave a message in the Newton Abbot police station Lost Property Office.
Mr Stephens said: 'People see a building which says police station on it. They can't enter it and can't get anyone on their local site. A lot of it is about communication. People in certain agencies are unapproachable and too distanced from their communities. Centralised police operations are a major factor in public confidence.'