Police in Exmouth Take Questions from Students at Deaf Academy
Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Chris Ball made one of his regular visits to the Deaf Academy in Exmouth earlier this week (Wed 29 Nov).
Chris is a familiar face at the two sites and drops in to speak to students who have a chance to ask him about anything they want to know.
He has already studied and passed level one British Sign Language and is hoping to advance to level two which will allow him to better communicate with those pupils at the town’s academy.
For this week’s visit Chris was joined by fellow Exmouth PCSOs Karen Capey and Colin Balch. Younger students were shown the police uniform and a police vehicle and had a chance to get their fingerprints taken – just for fun.
Chris, who has been in the PCSO role for 16 years, said: “We try to reach out and engage with all members of our community to offer a good service.
“My regular visits usually involve lots of questions from the students around policing and what we do. I also give regular talks to students at the academy, the last one was about mental health and how best to manage it.
“The Deaf Academy is an amazing purpose-built site and I am really honoured to be a part of the team. I am made to feel so welcome from staff and students every time I attend.
The academy has been based in Douglas Avenue, Exmouth since autumn 2020 and members of the local police team call in on a regular basis to engage with students and check if they have any issues or queries.
The academy now has two sites - the Douglas Avenue site is for students aged under 19 and the new Fearnside campus at Long Causeway, Exmouth, is for over 19s.
PCSO Chris Ball and other members of the busy Exmouth Neighbourhood Police Team also conduct regular police surgeries at Exmouth Library and other locations in the town such as Open Door in Church Street and Heron Senior Support Services in The Parade, Exmouth. The officers are happy to chat to local residents about any concerns or issues they may have, please feel free to pop along and speak with them.
The next police surgery at Exmouth Library on Exeter Road, Exmouth takes place between 11am and 12pm on Thursday 14 December.
You can get updates on events by following Exmouth Police on Facebook or search more information about your local police team by visiting www.devon-cornwall.police.uk
