My most enjoyable and worthwhile time is spent talking to those who work so hard in the communities I am proud to represent – and I write this column in the midst of a fortnight spent doing just that.

Last week kicked off with a celebration of the volunteers who selflessly give their time as councillor advocates in communities up and down Devon and Cornwall, and independent custody volunteers who are my eyes and ears in scrutiny of the police force’s detention systems.

Acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell was on hand to answer questions on myriad subjects and I presented one of my Commissioner’s Awards to Ian Adams, a local businessman who does an incredible amount to support policing through social media.

The next day I travelled to Cornwall, where I met all manner of incredible people who are involved in the Camborne Safer Streets project, investing money secured by my office and Cornwall Council to crack down on antisocial behaviour (ASB) and drug dealing.

This week I will be joining communities around Devon and Cornwall for celebration events as we formally reopen a further six police enquiry offices (PEOs).

In total my project will see 18 reopened or opened for the first time. Thirteen have been delivered already and five remain – ensuring more communities are connected to the neighbourhood teams that serve them.

This is a popular project – only one in five of those surveyed by my office said they did not support more investment in this project – and 76 per cent of people say face to face policing services delivered through a PEO improve confidence in local policing.

We will be meeting members of the local community in Devonport, Honiton, Ilfracombe, Okehampton, Looe and Kingsbridge.

One of the things they will tell me is that an open front desk in the heart of their communities bolsters their confidence in policing, but so too does regular, uniformed patrols.

I have supported the force – with your support via the council tax precept - to increase foot patrols and bolster neighbourhood teams. There are 686 more officers across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly than there were when I started, thanks to the national police uplift programme, local support and a very hard-working learning and development team at headquarters.

Operation Loki – Devon & Cornwall Police’s response to my police and crime priority of antisocial behaviour – has arrested more than 150 people.

And on Thursday the Home Office announced that I would be receiving an additional £1m to spend on ‘hotspot’ patrols to tackle violence and disorder, targeted in areas with high levels of ASB.

This approach has already been piloted in 10 areas, with over 80,000 hours of patrols in the six months since it launched. This has led to nearly 600 arrests, close to 1,500 stop and searches and around 700 uses of anti-social behaviour powers such as community protection notices and public protection orders.

In a further bid to tackle illicit drug crimes, Operation Scorpion, the programme of targeting illegal drug abuse and dealing across five South West police forces, is about to enter its seventh phase. In the past two years this Police and Crime Commissioner supported collaboration has taken drugs worth many millions of pounds off the streets and has put those who exploit the most vulnerable in our society behind bars.

I know how devastating ASB can be for victims, particularly if the offending is persistent and targeted. People want a reassuring presence in those areas where they feel less safe because of ASB and this additional money will enable me to provide more uniformed patrols where they are needed most.