An interesting letter in this week’s Exmouth Journal:

“I read with interest your recent column on the increasing costs for Policing in Exmouth. Over the last two years I have looked with curiosity for the promise of more police officers in our community, especially as our levy for Council Tax has increased year on year for this purpose.

I wrote to the Police Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall many months ago raising this issue. Her website indicated that she aimed to reply within a short time but nine months have passed and Alison Hernandez dearly found my letter too difficult to make a reply? I explained that I had not seen any police officers for over five years on the Exmouth beat and wondered if they had lost their legs. I explained my reason for this question and admitted I had seen police cars being driven but that I had not been able to talk to a policeman face to face.

I have also been curious to know the whereabouts of the new Exmouth Police Station, reported in the Exmouth Journal at least on two occasions. The first time the announcement was made by our local M.P. Simon Jupp, as though he had been responsible for this remarkable break through. The second time the Exmouth Journal showed a picture of the supposed Police House but with no address.

As I said earlier I had not seen any Police on foot patrol and then lo and behold my wife and I actually met two police officers on foot several weeks ago. I was so surprised, with humour I said to them both, “You are not in fancy dress are you? You are actually police officers?” They smiled and assured me they were. Then I asked them where the new Exmouth Police Station was and they looked at each other blankly and said, “I’m sorry we don’t know”

In the same copy of last week’s Exmouth Journal the Police Commissioner wrote an article setting out her vision for Policing in Devon and Cornwall, part of which had been reported on Southwest Spotlight, saying that she hoped to see more improvements in policing in the two Counties. Well, I would hope so too but I am sceptical about her vision. The last two years seem to prove her vision has been a fantasy at considerable cost to Council Tax payers.”

Peter Eastwood (Name and address supplied to the Journal)