Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge’s new neighbourhood Police sergeant has assured town councillors this week he is dedicated to keeping the town safe.
Sgt Ryan Edwards answered councillors’ questions on travellers, policing numbers and terrorism during a meeting last night (Monday, June 5th).
Sgt Edwards – who was born in Burnham-On-Sea and lives locally – said: “I care very much about the Burnham area and want to ensure this is a safe, strong community.”
Cllr Peter Burridge-Clayton asked what the Police are doing about travellers, noting concerns about the group on the seafront lawns on the South Esplanade in recent days.
Sgt Edwards said: “I am aware of this group and we are supporting Sedgemoor District Council as they go through the courts to get them moved from the council land.”
“Travellers are often an issue at this time of year – we have also seen them in the Sedgemoor Splash Car Park in Bridgwater over the weekend.”
“It’s never an easy issue – they know what they can and can’t do, and often try to stretch it to the limit.”
Cllr Louise Parkin said she’d received nine complaints about the travellers’ dogs frightening passers-by on the seafront over the weekend.
Cllr Martin Cox asked about current policing numbers in Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge.
Sgt Edwards said: “We have a dedicated, experienced team for the wider Bridgwater area which includes Burnham and Highbridge, Brean and Cheddar and have plenty of resilience. That said, I would like more officers – I don’t have the numbers I’d like. We have five beat managers and 8-9 PCSOs. I’d like to see more ‘999’ officers operating out of Burnham,” he said.
Town Council Clerk Tatiana Cant asked whether local people can help the Police’s work locally following the recent terrorism attacks in London and Manchester.
Sgt Edwards said that residents who have concerns about people or packages should always call the Police to investigate. “We would much rather investigate a false alarm rather not be called at all and find there was an issue,” he said.
