THE Police And Crime Commissioner has named the East Marsh area of Grimsby as a good example of communities fighting crime during his fourth visit to the area on Saturday.
Matthew Grove held a community surgery at Freeman Street Market, giving members of the public a chance to voice their concerns to the police force figurehead, who was elected to represent them in November.
The East Marsh has one of the Humberside Police force area's highest crime rates.
However, while Mr Grove admitted that the area "has its challenges", he also praised people in the community for rising to them.
He said: "Combating crime is not just the responsibility of the police – it is up to all of us to confront criminality in whatever way we can.
"People on the East Marsh aren't afraid to come together and tackle crime, whether that is reporting suspicious activity or setting up neighbourhood watch groups.
"The more people we get involved, the greater chance we have of success and that is why engaging members of the public on days like today is key to achieving my main aims."
Mr Grove said he would follow up two crimes mentioned that day – a serious neighbour dispute and the theft of £75,000 worth of car memorabilia from a retired collector.
"I will be speaking to officers, checking that these are being followed up and hopefully getting an update for the people involved," Mr Grove added.
Phillip Dumbrell, 35, of Weelsby Street, came to talk about high crime around Grimsby's Open Door – which helps many socially excluded people including addicts and the homeless – and setting up a neighbourhood watch group.
He said: "I wanted to talk about the stigma surrounding Neighbourhood Watch and the fact that a lot of crime is due to drugs and alcohol dependency in certain areas. They told me they will investigate."
Humberside Police PCSOs Rebecca Panter and Chris Broughton, who work in the East Marsh, were also there to answer questions – as they are every week from 11am to 1pm.
Mr Broughton said: "It helps us engage with the people we work with.
"They can talk to people who are familiar with local issues in a convenient place for them."
