WITH summer recess well and truly under way, the work of my office doesn't stop – even whilst I head away for a few days: The past weeks' Community Conversations marked just the start of a summer of action towards my pledge for our towns.

In this series of discussions, residents raised everything through from speeding motorbikes to local retail crime as well as the broader, social determinants of crime and antisocial behaviour (ASB).

Our Labour government has invested up to £1.2-billion in policing in the 20252026 settlement, and has hired over 3,000 dedicated neighbourhood police officers to put bobbies back on the beat and a named officer in every community – demands which I have heard from my constituents since day one. Our Summer Policing Blitz of last year saw increased visibility of patrolling, police enforcement, and increased use of protection orders. The “Winter of Action” Scheme built upon this, and saw 18,000 arrests across our towns and cities, with a significant spike in the St Austell catchment. And, of course, whilst the police cannot comment on live investigations, is my job now to follow-up with residents as clear an overarching plan as possible for each of the hotspots we spoke about.

We also spoke about the importance of the dedicated ASB pathways that sit outside of the criminal justice system and their value in addressing the increasingly blurred line between nuisance behaviour and more serious criminality.

But, what we consistently came back to was the discussion around the kind of community we want to build – which is one strong enough to pick our young people up when they start to fall through the cracks, and to step in for those who’ve got lost along the way.

Youth services are so much more than just a community centre with a pool table and, despite enormous cuts to those budgets during the last decade, there is a plethora of amazing organisations in Cornwall. The Cornwall Bicycle Project demonstrates how practical, hands-on activities can provide purpose, confidence and skills for young people, offering an outlet for those looking for a bit more excitement and challenge, while also introducing them to engineering, mechanics and teamwork. Meanwhile, the work of MPower, a youth and community organisation based in Par, continues with mentoring, skills development and opportunities that help young people build confidence and aspirations for the future.

Increasingly, I feel, we will see youth projects working to tee people up for a fruitful working life in a world that sees people increasingly disconnected from employers, at least by default.

Comments from our Prime Minister last week about ensuring job seekers get a fair in-person interview might seem like small favours, by they reflect an understanding that we need a much more connected, community-based world to stem the tide of despair that pushes people out of opportunity, into the margins of our communities and, eventually and all too often, even into ASB.