CHARD’S mayor has slammed an increase of crime in the town and called on residents to do their bit to stamp out the problem.

As reported in the News, there has been a spate of crime in recent weeks, including thieves swiping a Poppy Appeal tin and a man in his 80s being attacked near Lidl.

Now, Cllr Dave Bulmer, mayor of the town, said he is “deeply concerned” at the increase in crime around the town, and called on residents to work with police in tackling crime, and the problems it brings.

Cllr Bulmer said he was now working with police to see what could be done.

Cllr Bulmer said: “I am deeply concerned because crime should not be happening in the first place. Assaults or thefts of anybody are not welcome in Chard.

“We contacted the police recently about some possible drug dealers in the town and we were encouraged with their response. I would ask the public to support the police by reporting all crimes to them.

“I have spoken to Chard Police. We discussed the recent issues of thefts in the town therefore I have expressed my concerns.

“They are well aware of what is happening, and I am confident that they have the intelligence in place to address these concerns.

“We did agree and emphasised that information and co-operation from members of the public and other partner organisations such as the local authorities is vital in obtaining evidence to deal with these problems.

“On that basis we discussed what other measures needs to be done in the town to assist the police in obtaining clear evidence in the future. Therefore I am currently exploring options that can help with this.”

Chief Inspector Mark Edgington of Avon and Somerset Police said: “I am pleased to hear Cllr Bulmer was reassured about our response to drug issues after talking to my team. We have a dedicated response to drug issues in Somerset and, as you will have seen in the media recently, we have been proactively tackling dealing in Yeovil and Chard.

“We have carried out several days of action as part of a wider initiative, which resulted in dozens of people being sentenced to prison for drug dealing offences in the area.

“Recently, we worked with colleagues in The Met and arrested eight people here and in London for drug dealing.

“These weren’t low-level street dealers, these were people in charge of the drugs network responsible for sourcing and supplying street dealers.

“As Cllr Bulmer pointed out, the community have and should continue to help play a part in tackling drug issues.

“You are our eyes and ears, you have supplied us with a wealth of information that has allowed us to deal with this problem effectively. So please keep talking to us.

“In relation to other crime, we have made significant arrests in the town recently including two young men who stole money collected for the Poppy Appeal, who were arrested very quickly after the event.”

“The teams are working hard to investigate and detect crime but obviously prevention is most definitely better than cure.”