MEET Community Constable Mark Winter - Penistone’s on-the-beat bobby whose patch spans a massive 130 square miles.
With 24 years’ experience behind him, the huge patch - which covers Penistone East and West wards - isn’t daunting to PC Winter, who is planning on getting out into the communities and building up his presence.
He said: “There’s been a lot of changes within local policing in the last 18 months and we’re now at the stage where we need to reassure residents that we’re back, we’re well-equipped and we’re determined to make an impact.
“We’re engaging with the public more and my role is kind of a traditional-style of policing, where I’m visible and hopefully that will inspire people’s confidence in the police.”
Someone who knows all about traditional policing is Ken Burton, who held PC Winter’s role from 1983.
“It was much different when I was in the job as we didn’t have phones,” Ken told the Chronicle. “Penistone is a town that’s doubled in size, though, so there’s a much bigger demand on the police than there was in my day.”
Mark, who started the job in December 2017, is settling in well and has set his sights on becoming a key player in Penistone and its neighbouring villages’ communities.
“It’s absolutely overwhelming to have had such a warm welcome so far,” he added. “The communities we serve are reliant on us and although the patch is a big one, I’m absolutely confident in our ability to provide a service they can trust.”
