Policing (From The Northern Echo)

Policing

10:16am Saturday 13th March 2010 in

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RE Councillor Nick Wallis’ comments urging residents to sign up for Neighbourhood Watch rather than pay for a private security firm to police their area (Echo, some editions, March 11).

The firm, Sparta Security, has expanded in Darlington because the police are not patrolling our streets on foot preventing crime and there is also a concern about police response times.

We are concerned about the development of private security firms in these areas of police work.

We have found that the reasons for this situation are that Durham Police has lost more officers, as a percentage of its total, than any other force in the country. Between March 2005 and September 2009 it slashed the number of officers by 193 – 11.1 per cent of its 2005 total (1,738 down to 1,545).

Liberal Democrat plans for the police would put 3,000 new police officers on the beat across the country, making funds immediately available by scrapping the ID cards scheme.

We fully support Neighbourhood Watch, but recognise it can only do so much in keeping an eye out for anything happening in the area and reporting it to the police.

Neighbourhood Watch is no substitute for what the police should be doing and that is having a visible presence on our streets.

Alan Macnab and Tom Hodgson, Liberal Democrat Focus Group, Haughton West Ward, Darlington.