Ryde sees adopt a Post office scheme after local Police station closure

Members of the Neighbourhood Policing Team in Ryde are adopting two Post Office’s in the town. The scheme comes after the closure of the Police station in June 23, 2014 due to low usage. On Tuesday 7 August members of Ryde’s Neighbourhood Policing Team will be available to speak to the public at McColl’s on Union Street between 2pm and 3:30pm. Then on Thursday 9 August, the team will be at Mellishs on the High Street between 2pm and 3:30pm. The beat surgeries will be held at both Post Offices on a fortnightly basis. The national ‘adopt a Post Office’ scheme has seen police forces across the UK team up with the Post Office to provide communities additional opportunities to engage with their local Neighbourhood Policing Teams. Ten areas across rural Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight have trialled the scheme since 2016, and the feedback has been positive. In that time on the Isle of Wight Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Steve Oatley has already incorporated Post Office counters in local shops and café’s at: Godshill, Niton, Chale Green, & Whitwell, into his beat surgery calendar. In June 2018 Sandown Bay’s Neighbourhood Policing Team also adopted Shanklin’s Post Office. The PCSO’s involved have found it to be a great way to reach a wide cross-section of society, and in particular vulnerable groups, with crime prevention messages. As well as having a dedicated space to display crime prevention information, regular beat surgeries and community events are also held at the post office. The scheme provides customers and staff regular contact with their local officers, which has been found to provide reassurance and to prevent scams or fraud by speaking to specific groups who may be withdrawing money at the counter. The scheme has many benefits for our Neighbourhood Policing Teams: It provides a visible presence at a key location used by many members of the local community. It’s an opportunity for members of the public to have face-to-face contact with their local officers and to ensure that they are familiar with how to contact them. It’s a convenient location for people where they can access written advice and literature about crime prevention and to discuss these issues with officers. It helps officers to understand the concerns that the local community may have, especially if things like anti-social behaviour haven’t been reported to us. It’s an opportunity to engage with members of the public who may not use social media, or who may not be comfortable in an online environment.