RURAL areas across South Gloucestershire have recently been targeted by thieves preying on the trusting ethos of most villages. This week reporter Hannah Swingler asked the prominent beat manager for Frampton Cotterell what is being done in those rural areas and found out how regular police surgeries are benefiting these communities.

CRIME has definitely changed in the area, especially in the past two years, according to community beat manager PC Dave Barraclough.

The friendly bobby on the beat has been with Sodbury police for 13 years and in this time he has seen many changes.

He told the Gazette: "Anti-social behaviour is definitely a problem in this area and something that has escalated over the past two years.

"Last year we had a big problem with youths in Frampton Cotterell which we finally seem to be sorting out."

In a bid to target and combat trouble like this PC Barraclough holds monthly surgeries in Winterbourne, Frampton Cotterell and Coalpit Heath.

"People have the opportunity to make us aware of what is going on in the area and then we can address the problem," he explained.

As a solution to the problems in Frampton Cotterell a youth worker has now been employed to go into the area once a week to speak to children and find out what they want in their community.

PC Barraclough added: "The more people that make us aware of what is going on in their area the more that can be done to sort it out.

"Some people don't like picking up the phone to report a crime and so I am a point of contact where they can come and have a chat with me."

He says he uses the two-hour surgeries to explain how crimes are being addressed in his patch.

"I get good feedback from the surgeries and I think the fact that I am on hand and people know me makes them have more faith in the force," he said.

He also believes it reassures the communities that something is being done to protect and serve them.

"The fact that I meet with people means a better relationship is established between the public and the police. There will always be a few people who dislike us, for whatever reasons, and they will never change but the vast majority of the public show us respect."

PC Barraclough's duty as beat manager also takes him into schools where he teaches youngsters road safety and stranger danger.

He hopes that as a result children will be comfortable with telling the police things and will grow up to respect the law.