A SUMMER of sport is coming to Calstock and Gunnislake after local police secured funding to help prevent young people turning to crime. In an area lacking youth facilities ? there is not even a youth club ? police are working hard to fill the gap with help from partnership agencies. The £4,000 grant obtained through the Healthy Active Lifestyles Programme (HALP) will provide outdoor pursuit and dance for 11 to 16 year olds. This is the first successful project submitted by Police Community Support Officer Nicole Garcia, aimed at strengthening links with the youth community and tackling anti-social behaviour. PCSO Garcia said: ?I am delighted we?ve been awarded this money. It is the first positive step forward. I?m hoping it will inspire confidence with young people and this project will give them the opportunity to try new activities.? Sgt Brett Phillips said although there were many different pots of money for schemes like this, a lot of the tribute had to go to Nicole who was very pro-active at looking at various initiatives that the police could implement. He said: ?This is a good example of partnership working and neighbourhood policing and we are developing other ideas to get more involved with the community.? Sgt Phillips said he was encouraging the PCSOs to go into schools and assist with cycling proficiency and road safety. But the police came under attack from members of Calstock Parish Council last week for not having sufficient resources to deal with crime in the locality. They said the area was undermanned and that PCSOs were not filling the gaps left by trained police officers. Callington station lost two community constables and PC Jim Hunter, who once had responsibility for the Gunnislake and Calstock areas, now covers Callington and its surrounding parishes as well. The station, however, gained a second PCSO. ?The arrival of our PCSO has put paid to our neighbourhood beat officer who was a man with teeth,? said Cllr Mike Greenwood. Cllr Dick Hoile said PCSOs had very little powers of arrest: ?They are not police officers ? they are walking uniforms.? Sgt Phillips said although these officers did have limited powers they did a great job and acted as his eyes and ears. ?I think people would be surprised by the enormous amount of information that they can obtain,? he said. ?Although their core role is not investigating crimes they can detain criminals, make house to house enquiries and take statements. ?They are there to provide reassurance, high visibility policing, build relationships with the community and prevent crime happening in the first place.? Sgt Phillips added in an ideal world he would have more police officers but it was a case of having to work with the resources he had got. In Callington crime and disorder has reduced as a direct result of the introduction of police community support officer Mark Stribley.
