BEAMINSTER PCSO Alex Bishop, 26, has been on the beat in the town for three years.
Originally from Ilminster, Alex had always dreamt of joining the police force and seized the opportunity to fill the PCSO role in Beaminster.
Along with PC Tim Poole, Alex now covers the Broadwindsor, Beaminster and Halstock voting wards.
Having settled into his role Alex moved to Beaminster with his fiancée Jade in September last year. The couple are now expecting their first child in July.
Outside of work Alex is a keen sports fan, musician and martial artist, having trained at the South West Black Belt Academy in Ilminster for a number of years.
WHAT do you like most about Beaminster?
The community spirit. It’s a lovely town. I also cover three voting wards which are some of the must beautiful areas in Dorset I think.
IS THERE anything you would like to change about the area?
I would like to see more job opportunities for younger people. A lot of them have to move out of the area to try and get better jobs and I think there are a lot of people who like where they live but are unable to stay here if they want to get a good job or progress their career.
WHAT made you join the police force?
I have always wanted to be in the police force. When I was 21 I applied to become a PC, I was rejected at that stage unfortunately but when I saw the advertisement for a PCSO I thought why not? It gives me a good insight into the job and it will be a good stepping stone.
WHERE do you see yourself in five years time?
I’m not really looking that far ahead because I’ve got a family on the way and I’d very much like to be family man. If that means that still doing this job is beneficial to the family then I’d like to still be here. I was always looking at going in and joining as a PC but I enjoy this job a lot and it is more suited to family life I think.
WHAT is the role of a PCSO for those who are still unclear?
There are a lot of people who still aren’t very clear. It does differ from force to force but the main part of it is working with a safer neighbourhood team and finding community issues that need to be addressed and concerns that people have within there community and looking to resolve it. That can be through multi agency work, working with the different local authorities, with schools, with the youth centre. Working with different agencies to try and resolve those concerns. Community engagement is a big part of that and a big part of my role.
WHAT are the biggest problems that affect the Beaminster area?
Rural crimes such as thefts of heating oil, which at the moment is of big concern. It’s a more valuable commodity now because of prices going up and the Beaminster and Marshwood Vale safer neighbourhood teams have released a scheme called “stop that oil” to try and get people aware of their security around their tanks. We are trying to make it harder for people trying to access the fuel.
WHAT are your favourite TV crime programmes?
I used to watch The Bill when I was younger but I don’t often watch a lot of police dramas. I think a lot of the reality ones are quite a good insight into the job and they can be very interesting but I don’t watch a lot of them.
WHAT would be your three-desert island discs?
That’s very difficult, I have a wide musical taste. I think One by One by the Foo Fighters, the whole album is superb. The Joshua Tree by U2, again another superb album from beginning to end. 2001 by Dr Dre, I’m a big fan of Dr Dre, his earliest stuff with NWA is really good but also again all the songs on that album are very good as well.
WHICH three dream guests would you invite to a dinner party?
I’m an Arsenal fan and I think Arsene Wenger would be my first choice because he always seems like he’s got something to say and I don’t think he’d let the conversation die out. My fiancée Jade, it wouldn’t be a dinner party without her. The last one would be Freddie Mercury. Queen are an amazing band and he was an amazing front man.
WHAT are your favourite events that go on in Beaminster?
I think that the biggest one is the Beaminster Festival, which is a fascinating festival celebrating art. The opening ceremony in the square is always enjoyable and has a very good atmosphere. Last year I went to the Eat Dorset food festival at Parnham House which I thought was very good and gave a good insight into locally produced food which I think is a very good topic in this area.
WHAT was the last book you read, film you watched and CD you listened to?
I’m currently reading a book at the moment called 'The Outside Man' which is about an American joining the IRA, which is a good insight into the IRA trying to build a bigger profile against the British and using an American to do that. The last CD I listened to was The Carter by Lil Wayne, which is a very good album. The last film I watched was Disturbia, a thriller with Shia Labeouf which was a very good film.
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