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Operation Checkpoint, a joint initiative with police and licensees, is the latest venture aimed at making people feel safer in the town centre, which has the highest concentration of bars in the north west.

And below, Inspector Reeves is seeking your feedback on the initiative...

HAVE YOUR SAY: Operation Checkpoint

11:29am Thursday 14th August 2008

comment Comments (11)   Have your say »


My name is Richard Reeves and I am the inspector in charge of policing the new Warrington town centre Neighbourhood Policing Unit.

The new NPU, which was launched in April, has been created to provide a specialist pool of officers who are on hand to police the night time and day time economy in the town centre.

The dedicated team of officers, who are helping to tackle alcohol related crime and disorder in the town centre, work shifts to ensure the town centre is policed throughout the day – when it is bustling with shoppers – and throughout the night – when thousands descend on Warrington for a night out.

The new NPU is working closely alongside licensing officials, Trading Standards, Health, Environmental Health, Fire and the town centre CCTV control centre to share information.

The team is forging close links with licensees, shopkeepers and those who live and work in the town centre. We want to work with them to help create a more positive image of the town centre. We also want to reassure the public that we are taking positive action against those who choose to break the law, cause problems and spoil a night out for everyone else.

We are working closely with licensees in the town centre and are taking enforcement action against those that are found to be trading in an irresponsible manner.

On Saturday night officers from the new NPU were involved in a special operation - Operation Checkpoint.

M/F This was a joint operation with Pubwatch members and involved local licensees and officials from Trading Standards.

The operation involved four checkpoints being set up in the town centre – at these checkpoints drinkers were scanned by metal detectors before being allowed into town centre bars.

There were 10 arrests throughout the night for a variety of offences including possession of Class A drugs, assault and affray. No knives or weapons were found throughout the night.

This joint operation is one of many initiatives police and licensees will be taking part in.

We want to set the standards for people coming into the town centre and it is hoped that this operation will send out a positive message that irresponsible behavior will not be tolerated.

We are seeking feedback from anyone who was in Warrington town centre on Saturday night during the operation.

Use the comments box below to have your say...

Do you come into Warrington town centre on a regular basis for a night out?

What did you think of the joint operation between police and Pubwatch members?

Did it make you feel safer knowing that you – along with everyone else who was in the town centre – were being searched by police before being allowed into licensed premises?

Does it make you feel safer knowing that we did not seize any knives/weapons during the operation?

Were you aware that Warrington town centre has had its own dedicated team of police officers since April this year?

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disco, warrington says...
8:08am Fri 15 Aug 08

hi , i was in warrington town center saturday night about 12.45 a.m it was nice to see the check points,,just before i carry on i am applying to be in the cheshire police at the moment for the second time i may add,,so was quite happy to see all that goin on on saturday night,,just a couple of things i've thought about and other people have ask me ,,do you not think they would just put there knives , drugs , etc in a alley way on the way down to the check pionts and then pick them up on the way back when they have got there stamp on there arm?? i know the police can't watch everyone when they leave the check point but this is what i thought about and other people have said the same thing,,,just one other thing i ended up going to hospital that night well early morning with my brother that took ill,,i was sat in the a&e department and a young lad came in with his arm dripping in blood he had been bottled,, he made a fare comment, he said they are doing all these checks in town for drugs knives etc,, and you go in a pub and there's everything you need to hurt someone , glass and bottles,,,why can't we push for plastic bottles and glasses,, then i think you would cut crime down even more,,,all in all its nice to see police on the street in force 90% of people go out for a good night its the 10% we got to stop,,,

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Paperweight, warrington says...
12:12am Tue 19 Aug 08

Another initiative;putting more officers on a burn out depression trip.
Capital punishment then we all know where we stand.Fed up of drink as an excuse for bullying and violence you all know what you are doing when you take a drink.
Keep going Officers the public are behind you even though your hands are tied.

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pioneer1, warrington says...
11:46am Tue 19 Aug 08

i agree with the comments, the checkpoint was a waste of time because you gave anyone who was carrying drugs / knives chance to get rid of them and go and pic them up after they recieved there stamp, more police are needed after 3am, as ive said in previous comments, one of my frinds used to be a police officer and he was saying that come 3am, the police leave, bridge street should be manned uption the last place has shud (5am) various venues in warrington only use plastic glasses like 53 and rain, it is harder and more expensive to get hold of plastic bottles

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pioneer1, warrington says...
8:17am Thu 21 Aug 08

i would love a meeting with insector reeves,could tell him were he is going wrong because the decisions that have been made over the last few months are rediculus!

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don't tell em your name... pike, warrington says...
6:44pm Wed 27 Aug 08

Great ,wonderful but obviousley public safety does'nt apply on a bank holiday because on sunday evening there was a massive police presence of three,thats right three police officers to manage the town centre so don't despair or worry about your son or daughter going into town at the weekend cheshire police are right onto it keep up the good work lads, keep guarding that fence outside reef bar after all it must be expensive cos theres always two or three coppers holding it except on a bank holiday cos criminals don't work then

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pioneer1, warrington says...
7:49am Thu 28 Aug 08

this is exactly wot i mean, did the police forget that it was a bank holiday or something? and no doubt them three officers were having a brew back at the station by 3.30am, its rediculus!! there should be a police presence out till 5am every tue, fri and sat nites, and while there there, take them stupid barriers down, with them and all the doormen in hi-vis vests, bridge street looks like a construction site!

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jwblacklock, Warrington says...
12:26pm Thu 4 Sep 08

I have to say, I am totally onboard with searches before entering a pub as they discourage troublemakers and make people feel safer.
In fact they should have been introduced years ago, Mr Smiths had metal detectors 10 years plus ago.
But the searches conducted in Warrington Town centre on the 14th of August were carried out for one reason only.
To prevent a repeat of the embarrassing scenes that were captured and broadcast the last time Sky News visited the town centre.
The powers that be knew Sky would be revisiting Bridge Street that night, and so staged a PR exercise.
This has been proved in my opinion as the searches haven’t been conducted since, even though we have just had the biggest bank holiday of the year.
In my opinion the searches that were conducted were pointless, as they were carried out at only one point making a mockery of the whole process.
Below is my experience of the process.
The process of the search was that everyone entering the town centre intending to frequent a bar or public house, had to prove they had been searched before entering, the proof being a stamp on the hand. To obtain a stamp, people had to walk up Bridge street and get searched (near where Argos and Crazy George’s used to be), after which their hand was stamped. Then when entering a bar or public house, the door staff checked if your hand was stamped or not. It occurred to me whilst queuing to be searched, that there was only one search point, so in theory someone could hide an illegal item, get searched and obtain a stamp and then collect it. I asked an officer whilst being searched, theoretically what was to stop someone doing that. I was told there were further checkpoints.
I went all round Bridge street that night and didn’t see any further checkpoints. I discussed the searches with other friends who were out in Warrington town centre that night, all of them confirmed that there was only one checkpoint and agreed that although they agreed with the principal of being searched, the process needs to be reviewed.

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pioneer1, warrington says...
7:53am Fri 5 Sep 08

there were 3 checkpoints that night, one outside level, one outside big bar and one outside chicago rock area. but as rightly said above, after these checkpoints, there was nothing stopping you from picking up your item / drugs after you've had your stamp. another funny thing was i was working that night and after work (2am) i walked into all the bars, nobody asked me for a stamp, so again, useless! also back to what was said above, there used to be a metal detector at Mr. Smiths, it was ten removed when they did the refurb for Synergy. customers should be searched by the doorman on their way into premises.

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jwb, warrington says...
6:02pm Sun 28 Dec 08

my son went to pick up his g.friend on the22/12/08 at the halo at 21.00 2 police officers asked him what he was diong .he told them he was waiting for his girl.they became abusive to my son telling him to move on but in swear words,he swore back, which he shouldnt have, one of them threw him to the floor the other one kneed him in his back then threw him into a van ,he heard them laughing when they were driving him to runcorn police station.also saying to each other what shall we charge him with ,shall we say he hit us.my son was kept in the cells over night,my son is bearly 17 and if this is how the police treat our kids no wonder the kids react to them.

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catalin dobrescu, warrington says...
6:30pm Fri 16 Jan 09

Firsty I apologise for my English. It is getting gooder but I am still learning. I am in warrington now for 5 months and really like. Checkpoints are good but no search so good that it can find all. We have similar in Romania and some criminals stick things up there bum. No police will search up the bum on Bridge St and people will not get bum out for police. If bad men want to carry drug or knives they will find way. Better than nothing tho so well done.

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tizerbeast, warrington says...
11:57am Sat 21 Feb 09

get more on the beat instead of motorist making the paperwork easier ,if you ring the police you cant get one for love nor money in a brak in etc but report a drink driver or a tax dodger there there in seconds

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