Happy Easter West Devon,

I hope you were able to enjoy some long overdue sunshine over the Easter weekend, and the Easter bunny managed to deliver some chocolate to all the children.

Your Neighbourhood Policing Team have been busy supporting Okehampton College delivering online safety inputs to primary schools across Okehampton. We recognise the responsibility on us all to keep our children safe and it was a pleasure in being able to support the college in delivering this.

We’ve been out and about across the area in the community engagement van and will continue to be available so you can meet the team and raise any concerns. Please follow our Facebook pages (Okehampton Police & Tavistock Police) and/or subscribe to Devon and Cornwall Community Messaging (Alert) for updates on future events.

I met with the Community Safety Partnership and elected councillors last month where we agreed that our sector priorities for 2026/27 are to remain the same as last year:

Whilst there has been a reduction in reported anti-social behaviour across West Devon, we recognise the trauma this causes people on a personal level. We will continue to endeavour to take positive action, wherever possible utilising the legislation specifically built to challenge emerging issues supported by technology that informs us of our ‘hotspot areas’.

Similarly, drugs can significantly impact people’s quality of life, and I encourage you to report your concerns to us so we can be proactive. To comply with computer misuse and data protection legislation, your personal information will only be retained confidentially.

We continue to work with partners towards reducing the number of fatalities on our roads to zero and you would have seen my team with our speed gun on Crediton Road and Exeter Road in Okehampton most recently. We are planning further speeding days of action.

I welcome the new legislation around livestock worrying. The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) amendment introduces unlimited fines, extended police powers of seizure and broadening definitions of livestock and locations. We must do all we can to support our farming economic communities and I’m confident you will assist me by taking responsibility for your dogs.

I’m pleased to report that a 56-year-old man from Okehampton is due to appear in court to face twelve charges of offering to supply offensive weapons. As part of the investigation, officers executed a warrant at an address on Exeter Road Industrial Estate, Okehampton, on Friday, Febuary 27.

Furthermore, we have charged a 33-year-old-man from Okehampton for four theft-related offences. Further investigations are being progressed expeditiously to keep our streets safe.

We have a new police community support officer (PCSO) joining us once they complete their training at headquarters. PCSOs provide a crucial function within policing through community engagement and capturing information. Devon and Cornwall Police are actively recruiting across the policing family. We are currently looking for both police officers and special constables to join the force, so please check the police website for more information if you’d like to join the team.

Your Sector Inspector, Dan Jones