FALMOUTH town council is to become a ‘third party police reporter’ on behalf of its residents.

At a full meeting of Falmouth Town Council on Monday night, councillors agreed unanimously to back the proposal from deputy mayor Kirsty Edwards.

Proposing the motion Cllr Edwards said that as council and community leaders it was their responsibility to model the behaviour they wanted to see in the town.

“We should lead from the front,” she said “ensuring our town is the best it can be. I formally request that we take a visual and public ‘zero tolerance’ approach on hate crime in our Falmouth community.

"As a council we are able to reach people that others can’t and we have a moral responsibility as individuals and as a council, to ensure residents are able to access the support they require promptly.”

The resolution means that willing council staff and councillors will undertake police training and the council signs a pledge to be a third party reporter. 

This allows residents to approach them as individuals and for the council to report crimes on their behalf – from which point the police and victim will liaise directly.

Addressing the council about the motion the deputy mayor outlined her own family's experiences of hate crime.

"It's important to me," she said. "My own family as recently as the European football from the fact they have Italian and Arabic surnames is not ideal.

"We have also got LBQT+ and BAME members of our family and we know very much how it feels to be on the receiving end of this stuff."

The resolution will mean creating a safe space In the council's information hub, signposting specific support services.

  • Developing a scheme for residents to opt into, visually demonstrating the council is taking the issue seriously.
  • Continuing to work closely with community partners to develop best practice.
  • Public information stands at events such as Freshers and ParkLive.

Falmouth mayor Steve Eva said he fully supported his deputy in the scheme.

"I fully support this," he said. "I think it's a great motion to bring to the council."

Cllr Jayne Kirkham said she thought it was a "brilliant initiative" as conviction rates in some of these crimes are so 'hideously' low.

"Anything we can do as a council has got to be good thing," she said.

The motion was unanimously carried.