Help the police do their jobs!

Direct and clear communication with the public is important if the police are to “be approachable to the communities they serve, to understand their needs and concerns”. Indeed this is the message sent out this week by mid Cornwall’s new police chief Police Supt Julie Whitmarsh.

Police Supt Julie Whitmarsh was speaking to the West Briton newspaper about her attitude towards effective policing. She told the West Briton newspaper that good communication is important to her and she sees it as an effective tool in helping to fight crime. CPW believe that supporters for the fair and just treatment of Cornish and Celtic campaigner Tony Leamon by Devon and Cornwall police therefore, should perhaps help Whitmarsh undertake her new role more effectively.

CPW would like to encourage supporters of Tony Leamon - who lives in mid Cornwall – to write to Whitmarsh and express their concerns and views about his treatment by her police force. Emails should be sent to Police.Enquiries@devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk and marked for the attention of Police Supt Julie Whitmarsh.

In addition, why not put democracy in practise to its full extent by also writing (and copying correspondence to Whitmarsh) to the detective investigating Mr Leamon case? After all, as one correspondent to CPW states:

“The Criminal Procedures and Investigation Act (CPIA) which obliges the police and their Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to disclose to the defence solicitor every piece of material not used in the actual case. That means every one of your letters of support, every phone call which should be logged and passed on and so on. To breach this legislation will undermine the Prosecution case.”

The police officer investigating Mr Leamon is Detective 196 HAMPSON of BODMIN CID and can be contacted again by sending an email to the above address and marking it for his/her attention. The police must reveal every piece of information they acquire in their investigation, which will by 10 months by the time Mr Leamon answers his bail in July.

If you prefer to speak to someone in person, why not call the main switchboard of Devon and Cornwall police (from abroad: 0044 8452 777444 and from the UK: 08452 777444) and ask to be put through to Whitmarsh or Detective 196 HAMPSON at Bodmin CID.

Moreover, to ensure the police do their job properly all correspondence should also be copied to the Crown Prosecution Service and to Mr Leamon’s lawyer, the address of which are as follows:

Tony Leamon’s lawyer:
Ms. G. Kinley
Vivian Thomas & Jervis Solicitors,
PO Box 23,
Falmouth TR11 3UF

Crown Prosecution Service:
Tracy Easton
Chief Crown Prosecutor
Hawkins House
Pynes Hill
Rydon Lane
Exeter
Devon EX2 5SS

and

Julian Herbert
Divisional Crown Prosecutor
2nd Floor
Lysnoweth
Infirmary Hill
Truro TR1 2XG

Yet another action is to write (and copy correspondence) to the Devon and Cornwall Police Authority, who are the ‘management committee’ of the Devon and Cornwall police constabulary. They can be contacted at the address PolAuth@devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk and mail should be addressed to the attention of Detective196 HAMPSON & Cornwall CPS.

Lets help Devon and Cornwall police do their jobs and lets open and maintain good communication links with their officers. After all, as Whitmarsh says:

"I want to see us dealing with people the same way we want to be treated ourselves. If people ring in I want them to get the response they need.

"We are here to serve mid-Cornwall. I'm here as a servant of the people and I need to make sure we are doing it right."