KIDS with catapults and school traffic were just two of the issues raised with Dorset’s Police and Crime Commissioner as he held his second public forum in the county.

The two-hour forum was at the Alderney West Community Centre in Poole on Friday was well attended by local residents, as well as representatives from the council, police, fire service and local groups and charities. It was followed by two hours of private surgery sessions. Attendees also used post-it notes to mark up areas of concern and hot spots on a map of the area.

At the helm was Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill who told the Echo he will hold 25 such sessions around the county every year.

He said they were a “great opportunity” to hear first hand about the issues facing the community, adding: “I’m really excited about coming to Poole – this is my area – I live about half a mile away from here and I know this area extremely well.

“I expect to hear about antisocial behaviour, traffic calming, heathland fires, street lighting and police visibility – but there will be things which we are not expecting.”

He said the first forum, held in Shaftesbury, had been a great success and brought attention to a number of issues which came as a surprise to police and councillors there.

“I’ve been here six months,” he added. “And people are really starting to get to know about me and my role. They’re realising I’m not a police officer, I’m an elected representative here for them. They’re starting to trust me. People are realising I’m fighting their corner.”

Concerns brought up in the Poole forum included the attack on the Dorset Islamic Cultural Centre on Ashley Road, and children using catapults to fire at birds in Corbiere Avenue and Bloxworth Road.

Mr Underhill also took the opportunity to raise the funding issues hitting Dorset Police – and his intention to fight for a fairer funding formula to take account of the rural nature of the county and the thousands of visitors annually.

He added: “When things are raised at the forums and surgeries, rather like an MP, I will take those issues on. At the first forum twelve action points came out of it and I’ve taken those to Dorset Country Council, Dorset Police, the Highways Agency.”

The next forum will be at Ferndown on June 21, followed by one in Wareham on July 31 and then Boscombe on August 15. For the full list of PCC forums visit www.dorset.pcc.police.uk/get-involved/public-forums.aspx.