SPECIAL PRESENTATION IN BRIGG BY NEW HUMBERSIDE POLICE & CRIME COMMISSIONER ADDRESSES IMPORTANT ISSUES

Local people need to report all the crimes they encounter, Humberside's Police & Crime Commissioner stressed during a special presentation he gave in Brigg.
A former Mayor of North Lincolnshire, Coun Jon Evison, from Barton (pictured above) was elected to this important post in May 2021. And he accepted an invitation from Brigg Town Council to attend its latest meeting in the Buttercross. This was open to members of the public.
Explaining that the Humberside force needed to know about incidents to help build up an overall picture, the Commissioner said. "It is very important that people report crime."
He was welcomed and introduced to the meeting by Town Mayor Coun Brian Parker, who congratulated Coun Evison on his appointment.
The Commissioner said he knew Brigg well, having joined Brigg Amateur Operatic Society as a teenager. Years later he had learned a great deal during a lengthy spell as chairman of a panel scrutinising the work of the police.
More officers and PCSOs were now being recruited and trained for duty with the Humberside force, some of whom would serve in rural areas.
He considered visibility and contactability to be key factors. Figures showed 999 callers receiving "very good" response times, while those ringing the 101 (non-emergency) number could now expect to get "a quick answer."
He wanted the police to be more visible to the public, and he called on their elected representatives, local councillors, to let him have their views, as his role involved "holding the Chief Constable to account."
A question and answer session followed the presentation.
Coun Penny Smith raised the issue of some women who perceived it to be unsafe to go out at night on their own.
Coun Evison stressed it was absolutely wrong that anyone felt unable to do so, saying: "There should be no area where woman and girls don't feel safe."
He added: "We are working on a number of initiatives."
The Commissioner suggested that men who observed incidents of unacceptable harassment by other men towards women "should call that behaviour out."
Later in the meeting, he was made aware of local road safety concerns about vehicles being driven at speed along Atherton Way, which has schools at its northern end.
It is hoped that suitable measures can be put in place to address this issue. North Lincolnshire Council, the local highway authority, is keen to see action taken.
Rather than leaving after stating his views and answering questions, Coun Evison opted to stay for the remainder of the Town Council meeting, which had a lengthy agenda - his being the first item.
When the discussions finally concluded, he left the Buttercross with a copy of the latest issue of Brigg Matters - presented to him by Ken Harrison, the not-for-profit magazine's chairman. The Autumn edition includes a page about local policing.
Brigg Blog was interested to hear the Commissioner's call for local people to report crimes to the police. We recently recommended this course of action to a member of the public who emailed us about a charity donation bag stolen after being placed on the footpath outside a domestic property in the town.
Previous Humberside Police & Crime Commissioners Matthew Grove and Keith Hunter accepted similar invitations to make presentations to Brigg Town Council, which was then meeting in the Angel Suite.
Police and Crime Commissioners were introduced across the country by an Act of Parliament 10 years ago to replace many local police authorities. The aim was to strengthen local accountability and make police forces more responsive to local requirements.
Coun Evison is pictured here during his presentation to Brigg Town Council in the upper floor function room at the Buttercross. The group picture below shows, left to right, Coun Rob Waltham, Town Clerk Kerry McGrath, Coun Evison, Coun Ann Eardley (making a point) and Coun Jane Kitching.