PCC John Dwyer
POLICE officers and PCSOs are taking up to two hours to reach their “beat” areas in the Culcheth area, according to a local councillor.
The delays caused by the new police operating model are, at best “worrying” says Cllr Chris Vobe (above).
But most people find them “astonishing,” he says.
Cllr Vobe has already met Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner John Dwyer to voice his concerns. But he remains unconvinced by the explanation he has received
The new police working system requires officers to attend a 20-minute briefing sessions in central Warrington at the start of their working day.
Only after that do they travel to the Culcheth area.
Cllr Vobe says he has heard from officers who say they sometimes take up to two hours to reach their patrol areas following the briefing. The Police and Crime Commissioner had given assurances, but local people were not convinced.
“We’ve heard from officers in the Warrington East area that, on occasion, it is taking them up to two hours to reach their patrol areas from Charles Stewart House in the centre of Warrington.
“This is time that officers could spend on the beat. By blindly continuing to drive this programme forward, it is tantamount to him forcing police off our streets.
“We are told by officers that there is no defined way for them to reach their destination. Sometimes, a car is provided, most times it is not. PCSOs are having to ‘catch a lift’ from whoever is heading in the same direction as they are.
“When a lift is not available, they are having to walk to the Bus Interchange and wait for the next bus to their patrol areas. The whole journey is taking as much as two hours.
“These delays are putting PCSOs and local officers in an untenable position, all for the sake of a 20-minute briefing which the Commissioner refuses to utilise new technology to deliver.
“Villages like Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft are feeling the effects.”
But Mr Dwyer hit back.
He said: “I met with Cllr Vobe, and senior officers of the Constabulary, last month to discuss the implementation of the new policing approach in Warrington.
“At the meeting the Constabulary provided substantial detail and assurance about how centralised deployment was benefitting intelligence-led policing in the town. It was clearly explained that officer and PCSO time on patrol is not being adversely impacted by the changes. The local Chief Inspector also spelt out the positive impact that the new approach is having on the unit’s productivity and its ability to combat crime, which, as was explained, is at its lowest level for a generation.
“The changes which have been introduced have enabled us to make savings while investing more in the frontline. Across Cheshire this means committing an additional 130 officers to frontline police services, recruiting 53 new officers by April 2016, and maintaining the 220 existing PCSOs who work across the county.
“Cllr Vobe’s ongoing attack on the operational effectiveness of the Constabulary does not reflect the reality of the brilliant work that is being done.”
2 Comments
Someone is at best being disingenuous. How is it possible “that officer and PCSO time on patrol is not being adversely impacted by the changes” when the police are having to hitch lifts or when is available “having to walk to the Bus Interchange and wait for the next bus to their patrol areas, only to arrive two hours late?”
It is also plainly wrong to claim the politically influenced cost saving hit and miss method of getting officers to their patrol areas is not having an adverse influence on “the unit’s productivity and its ability to combat crime.” when set against the previous and established arrangements.
I have lived in culcheth for 12 years and I think the 20 minute as debriefing session at the start of every police shift will prove invaluable. The session forces each officer to meet with peers and senior police staff, updates them on crime development in the wider area and both these things will prove valuable to each police officer and aid them to do their job more effectively. In addition to this, I am thrilled that a few bus rides will have a police officer onboard, because during this travel time the officer is still on duty and able to tackle anti-social behaviour and crime onroute. Well done commissioner! As for Labour’s Mr Vobe, shut up and get back to posing for photographs next to culcheths potholes and dog pooh, leave the police to do their invaluable jobs.