
Community safety
This is an open letter to the candidates standing for election as Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Avon and Somerset Police.
The Police and Crime Commissioner makes decisions about what the police force will prioritise and how the police force will use its resources.

This letter has been written with the Discovery Council. The Council is made up of members who have a learning disability and autism who live in Somerset. All of the Council members receive support from Discovery, a non-profit organisation in Somerset.
You can support this letter by signing your name. Click here to add your name.
The Discovery Council will send this letter to the PCC candidates and ask them to respond to what they have said, before the election.
You can vote for the Avon and Somerset PCC on 6 May 2021. More information about the election is available here.
You can hear members of the Council raising their concerns on BBC Radio Somerset (approximately 1 hr 17 mins in) by clicking here
Dear candidate,
This letter has been written with the Discovery Council. The Council is made up of members who have a learning disability and autism who live in Somerset. All of the Council members receive support from Discovery, a non-profit organisation in Somerset.
This letter explains what we think the police in Somerset should be doing to make sure people are safe.
We want the next Police and Crime Commissioner to think about people who have a learning disability and autism. It is important that the Police and Crime Commissioner makes decisions that keep people safe and that tackle some of the problems people experience.
- We want more police in our local communities and on our streets
Seeing police officers on the street makes us feel safer. At the moment, we think too many police officers drive around in cars instead of walking in our local area.
Having police on local streets means we can go to them if we need them. There used to be more police officers out and about and that was a good thing.
Anti-social behaviour is a problem in some places and sometimes this leads to disability hate crime. Having police on the street helps to prevent this.
- We want the police to build relationships with the local community
It is easier to report a crime or ask for help if you know the police in your area. We want local police to get to know us.
In some places, police check in with us to make sure everything’s ok. They can spot when we might be having problems in our local area. We want the police to build more relationships like this with people who have a learning disability and autism.
- We want more police stations to be open
In some parts of Somerset, the police stations are closed or they don’t have people in them very often.
It can be easier to go to a police station to report a crime. Police stations are somewhere that people can go to know they are safe. We want to have access to local police stations.
- We want the police to listen and take things seriously
Some people who have a learning disability and autism don’t feel like they are taken seriously when they report a crime. We want the police to believe us when we tell them what has happened. Sometimes this can make victims feel like they are the one in the wrong.
Police training on supporting victims who have a disability would help the police work with us if we need to report a crime.
- We want the police to help make safe places in our local community
Some of us have places we go to often and people who we trust in those places, for example a local shop.
We want the police to know where in the local community is a safe place and to work with places that are safe.
We also want the police to think about whether there can be more safe places in Somerset – for example, through the Safer Places Scheme.
- We want the police to think about how people who have a learning disability and autism experience all types of crime
Some people will experience disability hate crime. This can have a serious impact on victims and can also make other people who have a disability scared that it might happen to them too.

All people who have a learning disability and autism could be victims of crime. We want the police to think about us as part of the community and make sure they can support us if we are victims of any sort of crime.
For example, women who have a learning disability and autism are worried about crime against women and staying safe at night.
Police training to help understand the needs of people who have a learning disability and autism is important.
Some people will experience disability hate crime. This can have a serious impact on victims and can also make other people who have a disability scared that it might happen to them too.
All people who have a learning disability and autism could be victims of crime. We want the police to think about us as part of the community and make sure they can support us if we are victims of any sort of crime.
For example, women who have a learning disability and autism are worried about crime against women and staying safe at night.
Police training to help understand the needs of people who have a learning disability and autism is important.

The Police and Crime Commissioner should engage with people in the local community to hear their views on policing issues. This should be done in an accessible way.
We would like to hear what you want to do as Police and Crime Commissioner and how you plan to make sure people who have a learning disability and autism feel safe.
We would welcome a response to this open letter, in writing or by video, to let us know what you think about our priorities. You can respond to alexandra.gbedemah@dimensions-uk.org. We will share your response with the people who have signed this letter and the local community, so people know that you are listening to their views.
We wish you luck in the election.
Yours Sincerely,