COUNCILLORS fear Warrington will continue to bear the 'burden' of police changes following a meeting over the restructuring of Cheshire Constabulary at the Town Hall last night, Thursday.

Councillors Chris Vobe (LAB – Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft), Russ Bowden (LAB – Birchwood) and Woolston Parish Council chairman Mary Greenslade met police and crime commissioner John Dwyer to hold talks.

They discussed the findings of a petition, which has been signed by more than 1,000 people objecting to the changes, but doubts remain over further alterations due to Government cuts.

Officers in the town have relocated to the Charles Stewart House on Arpley Street in the town centre.

And even though police stations in Risley, Stockton Heath, Penketh and on Arpley Street will remain open as an information point and help desk, officers are now being deployed from the town centre hub after a briefing – it follows a test of the move in Ellesmere Port.

Cllr Vobe believes it is 'very important' to recognise the work of police officers and PCSOs in the town but admits he fears just what the future holds for residents if Mr Dwyer does not take action.

"What remains disappointing is the response of the Conservative police and crime commissioner," he said.

"Following our meeting to discuss the impact of his new operating model, it is clear that his answers will not satisfy or convince the public that their concerns have been heard.

"The commissioner tries to pretend that he is divorced from politics – but he is an elected Conservative representative, implementing a Conservative manifesto and holding back on announcing these changes until after people's votes had been cast is a deeply political act.

"Concern still exists throughout the east area that Risley police station is under threat."

Cllr Vobe has called on Mr Dwyer to explore the use of new technology to brief officers in outlying areas by videolink, rather than travelling in and out of the town centre.

He also claimed the Conservatives are 'all at sea' over the reduction in police numbers across Cheshire but pledged to continue to hold the commissioner 'to account'.

"Our colleague Derek Twigg, the MP for Halton, recently tabled a parliamentary question to ask the secretary of state how many police officers have been employed in Cheshire each year since 1997," he added.

"The minister's answer showed that we now have 259 fewer officers in Cheshire than we had under the last Labour government and 115 less than when commissioner Dwyer took up his post.

"Yet the commissioner takes exception to his own Government's figures.

"We will not let this matter rest.

"It is clear that the Government has plans for much deeper cuts in our police service to come – and under the Conservatives, it seems that Warrington people are being asked to bear the burden of those disproportionately."

But Mr Dwyer remains adamant that the changes to policing will prove to be beneficial to the county as a whole, including Warrington.

"I called this meeting to quash some of the misinformation and inaccuracies that have been put out – often without any evidence to support them," he said.

"In the last year we've seen crime rates at the lowest rate for a generation – detection rates rising, fewer victims of crime, and public confidence at nearly 90 per cent.

"Going forward I’m committing considerable resources in frontline policing, including a recruitment programme which means we’ll have 53 extra officers in force by April, with 130 additional officers on the frontline.

"Despite tough national budget settlements over the last five years we're maintaining our commitment to neighbourhood policing and the 220 PCSOs that underpin this and we have some of the highest numbers of volunteers we've ever had."

Detailed work was carried out to ensure the move to bring staff together at the beginning shifts 'adds value' to their work and delivers more visible patrol time in communities.

However, Mr Dwyer confirmed time spent travelling between booking on stations and beats has been looked at and will be kept under review.

He added: "We have also put in place local community bases for officers to work from and this autumn we will be rolling out mobile technology that will make it easier for officers to do their job and increase their visibility with the public.

"I thought it was a fruitful meeting, I was pleased to hear positive feedback about the work of local officers and I felt it was a great opportunity to discuss and explain a model of policing which will deliver benefits to the whole of Cheshire."