Last week I met with Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez at Okehampton Police Station to discuss local policing priorities. It followed conversations I had with Inspector Chris Conway, area lead for West Devon, while joining him out on the beat in North Tawton three weeks previously.

 The first item we discussed was the police station itself, with Alison recently announcing that the front desk at the station will be re-opened within the next financial year. Along with local councillors, I had argued the case for this, citing the distance to other Public Enquiry Offices (to give them their proper name) within the force’s area. Okehampton’s population is continuing to grow (I was given a tour of one of the new housing developments a few weeks ago) and it is good to see local services keeping up with demand. We also spoke about the large intake of new recruits into the force, who are currently going through intensive training. Seven of these will be allocated to West Devon.

While in town, I visited the Museum of Dartmoor Life in West Street and was shown around by curator and manager Kristy Turner. It was my first visit for several years and it was fascinating to look again at some of their historic displays as well as their new exhibitions for 2023. Whether you’ve been to the museum before or not, it is well worth a visit.

 Other recent local meetings included one with the banking director of the Post Office. We discussed anti-money laundering regulations that are limiting the amount of cash that customers can pay into bank accounts via the Post Office in one go, causing problems for some businesses.

 More from Mel at www.melstridemp.com or follow him on twitter @MelJStride.