EDM 399: Glastonbury Neighbourhood Policing Team and the Angela Yeoman Award

That this House congratulates the Glastonbury Neighbourhood Policing Team, Licensing Team and Anti-Social Behaviour Team on winning the Angela Yeoman award at the Force Awards on 23rd October; notes the Angela Yeoman award is awarded upon the demonstration of outstanding initiative and continuous support to increasing community safety; congratulates the concerted effort made by the policing team in Glastonbury, led by Sargent Simon Lancey and PCSO Supervisor Bea Gane, in reducing reported crime by 26 per cent and anti-social behaviour by 17% from September 2022 to September 2023; applauds their hard work in developing combative strategies to tackle crime, with a specific focus on delivery intervention, safeguarding and community engagement; recognises the marked improvement in crime statistics when sufficient planning and personnel are provided; further notes that according to the National Farmer Union, rural crime in Somerset rose by 67.6% to an estimated £1.3 million in 2023, with only 258 police officers and staff (0.1% of the overall workforce) being dedicated to rural crime teams across the UK; and calls on the Government to take steps towards having a specialist coordinator in their rural crime team, in line with the recommendations from the National Rural Crime Network.