"We attended every burglary call out" - Buxton police inspector's 2022 look back

Buxton Inspector Anna Woodhouse is reflecting on her first 12 months in charge of policing the High Peak.

She said: “It’s hard to believe another year has flown by – but it’s always good to look back and see what has been achieved over the last 12 months.”

In the High Peak and across the county one of the key issues the force has been focusing on is burglary.

Inspector Woodhouse said: “It is a crime which has a massive impact on victims and is a total violation of the place that should be very definition of safety – a person’s home.

“We recognise that impact keenly and have shown commitment to attending every burglary that occurs in the county.”

She says the initial attendance has been backed up with some ‘really thorough proactive policing’ which has included work with plain clothes officers, and specialist units from our roads policing team.

She said: “This has seen burglary reduced by 24 per cent on the previous 12 months.

“Further work is planned in the 2023 to continue this – which will be boosted by the 19 new officers to the area has seen in the last year – with a further four currently being trained as we speak.

“These new recruits will be focusing on those issues that we know really affect our communities – one of which is anti-social behaviour.”

She noted this year the policing team saw a number of incidents in Buxton town centre which caused ‘understandable concern to those who live, work and visit Buxton’.

"We acted quickly, using dispersal powers to stop the problem in the short term, and have worked with partners to identify those responsible and divert them away from that type of behaviour.”

A new addition to the licensing team, PC Lora Holdgate, has made a positive impact working with the licensed premises across the High Peak to ensure the safety of those enjoying the pubs, bars and clubs in the area.

Inspector Woodhouse said: “One of the recent initiatives PC Holdgate has helped put in place has been the rolling out of metal detectors to help door supervisors search for weapons.”

These were purchased by the community safety partnership and were launched during Operation Sceptre, a week of action that aims to drive down knife crime and saw officers visit schools to explain to young people the devastating impact of knife crime, as well as performing knife sweeps in local parks and targeting those individuals who are known to carry weapons.

Inspector Woodhouse said: “This year we were delighted to once again see Buxton FC have a fantastic FA Cup run knocking out Merthyr Town at Silverlands in early November to book a dream ticket in the second round with an away trip to face Ipswich.

“While The Bucks couldn’t defeat their League One rivals it was an away trip to remember.”

She added: “These were just a few highlights of my first year in charge of the policing of the High Peak – something I have been hugely privileged to do having been born, raised, and still living in, the Peaks.”

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