Police contact points to be rolled out county-wide

Cambridgeshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner will roll out more police contact points across the county in the coming months, following the success of his Peterborough pilot.

A pilot contact point has seen Sir Graham’s Outreach Worker and local police regularly engaging with the public at Sainsbury’s in Bretton, Peterborough. The Commissioner now believes that the model can be adapted and rolled out to other premises, including other supermarkets, in more areas of Cambridgeshire.

Sir Graham said: “Within the first 24 hours of the Bretton contact point launching we had seen and spoken to many more members of the public than some of our smaller enquiry offices deal with in a whole week or even a month.

“People have really taken an interest in the pilot and I am sure there are lots of things we can build on and do even better when others are opened. It’s all about going out and being seen right in the centre of local communities at places, like supermarkets, where there is already considerable public presence.

“My Outreach Worker and the local policing team have been on hand at Sainsbury’s since May to deal with issues or concerns that the public have raised with them. Feedback from young people has also been good, with many welcoming the additional presence and giving us some food for thought on possible future locations. On the basis of this early evaluation I am committed to opening more in the coming months.”

Although the police often set up ad hoc presence at different locations, the unique aspect of a contact point is that it is a permanent presence in an area of high footfall and with regular, advertised opening times.

Discussion regarding the exact locations is ongoing, but the Commissioner is looking to open further contact points at premises in Cambridge, St Neots and Fenland. Further details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Further information about the contact point is available here