10th December 2009
The news that Throop and Muscliff Beat Officer PC Damian May is being promoted to CID in January 2010 and will not be replaced, has been received with some dismay in the community. His role will be covered by PC Keith Dixon in addition to his own Moordown beat. PCSO Anna Maher is staying at the moment and will be joined by PCSO Adam Lillywhite.
As crime figures are very low in Throop and Muscliff and the majority of the work undertaken is that of community work and Safer/Stronger Communities, Inspector Mike Claxton feels that one officer will be able to cover the work.
Objections were raised by local Councillors, Forum and Dave Simpson, Head of epiphany School amongst others. A meeting was held between the three local Councillors and Inspector Claxton on 27th October who sent the following e-mail on 13th November, 2009:-
From: Inspector Mike Claxton - Dorset Police
13th November 2009
Subject: RE: Community Beat officer. Throop and Muscliff
Dear all,
I appreciate that this issue has caused some concern, which I can understand. The role and performance of PC Damian May and PCSO Anna Maher have been excellent during their time in Muscliff, and they have worked really well with ourselves to keep Muscliff and Throop the safe place that it is.
To put the record straight - Damian is being replaced - by PC Keith Dixon in January 2010. Keith is currently the Community Beat Officer for Moordown, and his role will now be extended to Muscliff and Throop. Having considered this at length, I am very confident that Keith will provide a very similar service to you that Damian did, as a dedicated beat officer. I do not deny that being responsible for both areas will make him busier, but he and I believe he can manage this successfully.
I am providing another PCSO to work alongside Anna, dedicated to Muscliff and Throop - he is PCSO Adam Lillywhite. He is an experienced PCSO, who I have moved from another area, and will start with yourselves in January 2010.
I feel strongly that much of the current work done in Muscliff and Throop is community-based, and 2 PCSO's will be very capable of conducting it. You all know how visible Anna is on her beat area, walking and cycling. Adam will not regularly work the exact same shift as Anna, so you can expect to see even more of a visible presence on your area, with the PCSO presence effectively doubled. As Damian has done previously, any long-term issues requiring a police officer will be passed to Keith Dixon. The vast majority of jobs will continue to be covered initially by patrol officers from North Bournemouth Police Station, which is exactly how your area has worked whilst Damian has been your Beat Officer.
Keith / Anna / Adam will be available to tackle all the issues raised below, so please do not think that any existing good work will be wasted.
I have agreed to review this position in 3 monthly intervals. It is a decision I have made after careful thought about the policing of your area and North Bournemouth as a whole, for which I take full responsibility. I hope you will all continue to work successfully with the new members of your Safer Neighbourhood Team, who are committed to providing the best policing for the Muscliff and Throop area and I thank you for your support.
Yours Faithfully,
Mike Claxton
Inspector
North Bournemouth Police Station
With the promise of 3 monthly reviews and continued high visibility policing in the area, Forum accepts the reassurances given at this point and wishes PC Damian May every success in the future.
We thank Damian and Anna for all their excellent work in the past and look forward to meeting PC Keith Dixon and PCSO Adam Lillywhite in the near future.