Police cash plea is rejected by council (From Warrington Guardian)

Police cash plea is rejected by council

POLICE chiefs are calling on parish and town councils for £11,000 to fund their own community officer.

Nantwich Town Council, which met last week to discuss the request, is refusing to pay any extra towards policing in the area.

They already give £12,000 per year to the local police station and recently donated £90,000 towards CCTV cameras in the town.

Cllr Steve Hope said: "We have already gone above and beyond the call of duty in supporting our police and work very closely with them."

Town clerk Riddell Graham added: "I would be surprised if any local parishes are big enough to give that amount of money."

The extra cash was requested by Chief Constable Peter Fahy in a bid to top up Government funds for local officers.

The Home Office is now providing 65 per cent of the funding needed for each Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) as they try to raise the number of Cheshire posts from 79 to 173.

In his letter to local councils, the Chief Constable explained that PCSOs will 'deal with the local policing community issues that matter to them at a relatively modest investment of £11,000'.

He added: "The financial reality is that without fundamental community support we will not be able to benefit from this significant opportunity to jointly improve community reassurance."

The PCSOs have fewer powers than police officers but can deal with parking and youth nuisance offences.

The officers are dedicated to that area to enable the build up of trust, familiarity and accessibility.

They emphasise high-visibility patrols and work in the community to identify long-term solutions to problems affecting residents.

Cllr Hope said: "We are very pleased with the crime figures and policing in Nantwich - they already have a strong community presence and good visibility on the streets.

"The public feel very reassured by the police here and if we were to fund anything extra I think traffic wardens are needed more than PCSOs."

kcooksey@guardiangrp.co.uk