Westover Beat Bobby Tony ‘Tex’Freeman is the star of the latest episode of NEIGHBOURHOOD BLUES the BBC series which follows Police forces around the country in the course of their operations.This weeks episode see’s the best and worse of Westover ward.

The episode includes footage of the Police and SDC raid on an address in Taunton road in support of the new powers Local Authorities now have to evict homeowners in perceived problem areas. Tex (a former Royal Marine)  is seen as ‘back up’ to the bailliffs and Sedgemoor staff that ‘go in’ with a show of force – that ultimately led to a peaceful resolution of the situation.

Raid on Taunton road

The TV programme reveals the awful state of the property and the conditions within the house which were clearly in a sorry state. There was also some ‘Kill the Bill’ grafitti on the wall, but who’s to say this wasn’t referring to some unpopular legislation going through Parliament…..

West street wallflowers

On a more cheerful note Tex can be seen in the West street area -described in the programme as ‘one of the most deprived areas in Somerset’. Here Tex had raised some £12,000 to make a community garden and the film follows local children as they paint a mural with the officer adding his own Rembrandt-esque touches to the wall while getting into a Dali-esque conversation with a resident to who he says ‘you gotta live the dream’ to which she replies ‘No I live in the flats‘.

The programme is available on BBC I-Player for a limited time and we suggest everyone should watch it to get a behind the scenes look at Policing in the County in the light of recent statements about the state of the Service locally.

Watch Neighbourhood Blues