Dear Editor,
I rather feel the Police commissioner is in a parallel universe, he really doesn’t get the point.
Read: Letters: “Come on PCC, get some coppers on the streets”
The mere fact he is offering a ride-along experience to see how busy the officers are is exactly why l wrote my letter. I have lived and worked in Bedford for over 45 years, and l know what l see along with many others, the police are in cars and never seen on the streets, which is where people want them to be; providing reassurance to the members of the public and deterring offences before they happen,
I had a meeting with the officer responsible for the town centre, he was totally committed to trying to help the town along with his other three town officers dedicated to the unit, but they cannot all be on duty at the same time.
Yes they get called away, and l acknowledge they are busy, but come on, it is obvious if Police are patrolling in the town, the miscreants would be a little less likely to be so barefaced and misbehave if a police officer might just catch them at it!!!
Police Commissioner you have closed the town police station, closed the police shop, and the nearest place to attend to report a crime is police HQ.
You really have made a stunning job of contributing to allowing the town to fail its public, and l blame your office and the poor funding by this government for allowing it to happen.
(Please don’t trot out the party line of employing 20,000 more officers, how many have left in that time, because of poor pay and understaffing, they don’t want to be out there on their own getting their head kicked in or potentially stabbed, they need the confidence of having support).
In closing, the Police are not the panacea for the troubles in society and never should be, but it doesn’t mean to say they can’t be there to help, and they aren’t if they are in their patrol cars, and not out meeting the public, who in the majority would be delighted to see them performing their duties,
I sincerely hope Mr Wotton can show more enthusiasm for policing the streets than our previous mayor.
Regards
Tim Hatton
Bromham
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