Boys in blue get a pat on the back (From Warrington Guardian)

Boys in blue get a pat on the back

THE chairman of Cheshire Police Authority has congratulated Halton officers on their detection rates.

Peter Nurse visited Runcorn police station and praised staff for outperforming other divisions in the country.

Compared to similar units, Halton achieved the highest detection rate for violent crime in the autumn and the lowest number of household burglaries.

Target

The detection rate for violent crimes is 72 per cent and Mr Nurse said: "That's way above the target of 65 per cent."

Halton is in a group of 16 divisions with similar populations and levels of deprivation. Mr Nurse said the figures were the result of good management by local police.

Chf Insp Dave Booth modestly said the police were getting good results because they had a good partnership with Halton Council and other groups.

Chf Insp Booth said Mr Nurse didn't just speak out when things were going well.

He added: "Mr Nurse has got his friendly hat on now, but he comes here and makes sure we are on our toes."

In an exclusive interview with the World, Mr Nurse gave his thoughts on several local controversies.

He is head of the civilian authority that oversees the policy and funding of Cheshire Police.

Mr Nurse talked about whether Halton would be better served by Merseyside Police as some councillors have suggested, and whether Halton had a strong voice in the police authority.

He spoke about the new custody suite in Runcorn that has Sandymoor residents up in arms and about the delay in building the new Asda in Widnes when the police held out for a better price for their land.

He also looked forward to improvements in the contentious call handling system.