Frome Town Council discussed the recent social disorder issues in the town - and the recent murder of a Radstock teenager - and heard that the police have been actively making arrests. The council meeting on August 10 was told that there have been incidents of public disorder revealing that in one case several individuals, who were carrying weapons and wearing balaclavas had been arrested by police.

That said councillors heard that the statistics show Frome is a not a high crime area and that social media was to blame for inflaming a view that it was.

The perception that crime figures are higher this year than ever before is not the case, the meeting in the Town Hall was told.

Cllr Nick Dove told the Frome Town Council meeting on August 10. " Frome is a safe place. It is not a gangland - the statistics show that there has not been a big increase in crime over the past few years. The reality is very different from the story told on social media. " The councillor is himself a former police officer who was previously Head of UK Metropolitan Police Intelligence Bureau and Head of the Organised Crime Investigation Teams based in Kosovo

However the view of Frome as peaceful and trusting was challenged by one person at the meeting who spoke of seeing groups dealing hard drugs in broad daylight in Badcox, and a young girl who called the police about someone who had taken an ecstasy tablet being told to just call an ambulance.

She told councillors: " We need to work out how to build a bridge between the youngsters and the police. We need to create safe spaces where they can be and where they can talk about what is happening."

Frome Town Council was told about many local initiatives which are already underway to engage with teenagers in the town, in particular the YMCA working in Victoria Park. PCSO Gary Maule was singled out for being trusted and known by all. There was a warning that if people continue to have a perception of Frome as somewhere dangerous, that will simply stir up trouble which is not the reality of life in the town.