There was a fond farewell this week in Saundersfoot to a much loved local PCSO who has served the seaside community and surrounding area for a number of years.

PCSO 8086 Jim Moffatt will walk the beat of the village for the last time this weekend having been a stalwart of policing in the locality based at Saundersfoot police station.

After leaving school and joining the army, Jim became a police officer in Warwickshire as a dog handler, before transferring up to Staffordshire in the Peak District.

After retiring from the police constabulary he moved to Saundersfoot, but struggled with boredom and after a short stint of part time jobs, 12 years ago he became a PCSO for Dyfed Powys Police, and has since tirelessly patrolled the area, as well as other patches in the locality such as - Amroth, Carew, East Williamston, St Florence, Llanteg, and Summerhill, as part of his neighbourhood policing duties.

Locals say that Jim will be remembered with fondness for his sweet tooth (having happily drunk thousands of cups of tea or coffee over the years and of course, that obligatory biscuit or piece of cake, when calling into countless businesses and homes to check on everyone especially the elderly and vulnerable) - but especially for his fairness, kindness, tongue in cheek sense of humour, and the quality of always being willing to go that extra mile.

In the words of many residents and business owners, and his colleagues Jim is ‘irreplaceable’ and will be hugely missed by Saundersfoot village and the surrounding areas – as the huge number of messages and signatures on his leaving cards and the large collection donated to his leaving gifts attests.

He was presented with numerous gifts, including prints of Saundersfoot in the snow and Carew Castle; a wood wall mounted hand crafted barometer by another local artist; and several hampers of Pembrokeshire and Welsh produce - of which some Jim has kindly donated to local charity The First Responders as well as Saundersfoot playgroup based at the Regency Hall.

By way of further commendation, not long into his role as a PCSO, Jim took up the responsibility of running the local PACT meeting in Saundersfoot, which thanks to his stewardship and tireless efforts each month, the attendee figures grew to be one of the largest of PACT meetings in Pembrokeshire, in fact in Wales and the rest of the UK - with the key ingredients to lighten moods amongst the serious topics sometimes discussed was Jim’s fairness and sense of humour and being able to devour his wife Yvonne’s famous cream cakes which she made for each meeting!

Ironically Jim is returning by way of transfer as a PCSO officer to the original beat he worked as a police officer in Staffordshire, where his family are based.