PEOPLE feel ‘safe and happy’ in Launceston, was the takeaway from the latest in a series of engagement events being undertaken in town centres by Cornwall Council and the Police.

Helping promote the nationwide ‘We Say No to Hate’ campaign, teams from across Cornwall Council and representatives of the local police team came together on Wednesday, July 1, for the ‘Launceston Community Safety Pop-Up Event’, which also sought to give local people the opportunity to have their say on matters impacting their town.

Lucy Allison, community safety officer with Safer Cornwall, explained how this was the third in a series of events being run in partnership between Cornwall Council and the police. The aim is to engage with the public to hear concerns and reassure them of the work being done to make Cornwall a safer place to live.

She told us: “The event today is focused around our ‘Say No to Hate’ campaign, aimed at eliminating hostility, prejudice, and hate crimes across local communities.

“We have been engaging with local businesses and the response so far has been positive. Several have put our window stickers up.”

Speaking about the feedback from members of the public, Lucy added: “It has been an amazing day with some really positive feedback from locals. We have had a few concerns raised, which is good, that is what we want — if we don’t know about issues we can’t tackle it.

“But in the main people have told us that they are really happy and feel safe in Launceston.”

Representatives from Cornwall Council’s various teams — including domestic abuse, civil enforcement, localism and highways — joined members of the Launceston Neighbourhood Police Team to engage with the public and highlight the ‘Say No to Hate’ campaign being carried out nationwide
Representatives from Cornwall Council’s various teams — including domestic abuse, civil enforcement, localism and highways — joined members of the Launceston Neighbourhood Police Team to engage with the public and highlight the ‘Say No to Hate’ campaign being carried out nationwide (Zoë Uglow)

This event tied in nicely with the regular engagement events being held by the neighbourhood police on the first Wednesday of each month in the town and local villages - helping provide locals with a direct line to their local team.

Launceston PCSO Anna Harrison said: “This helps us keep in contact with the local community since we don’t have a front desk.”

There had been talk online in recent weeks of how ‘unsafe’ town felt to some, however, PCSO Anna confirmed: “There is a lot of misinformation and Chinese whispers out there. This event has helped us get to the actual concerns and provide reassurance.”

Also in attendance were members of Cornwall Council’s various teams including resettlement services, domestic abuse, civil enforcement, localism and highways.

Oliver Jones, representing the Highways teams, said: “We have had a lot of constructive conversations here today with the public about highways and maintenance.”

Potholes being a hot topic for many, Mr Jones added: “Having an opportunity like this to explain the rationale behind decisions made about our highways is so important. Decisions aren’t made lightly.”

Cornwall Council community link officer Chris Sims added: “We hold these across a number of towns in Cornwall – they are a good opportunity for us as a council to see real people and for the public to voice their own concerns.

“The council can sometimes feel a bit distant to people, so this has been a great chance for us to speak to a wide range of people to talk about what is important to them.”