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Police deny fears over response times

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Published on 31/08/2012 07:00

Police have denied fears that emergency response times will increase due to a forthcoming restructure.

From October 1 police officers who currently start and end their shifts at Biggleswade police station will instead clock on and off at Kempston station.

Sergeant Gary Kidd from Bedfordshire Police spoke at a meeting of Biggleswade Town Council last month where he was asked about rumours that Biggleswade police station is due to close.

Sgt Kidd denied the reports but councillors voiced their fears about officers being based too far away from Biggleswade to respond quickly enough to emergencies.

Councillor Hazel Ramsay said: “Although we will still have PCSOs based in the town, they have no powers of arrest. My worry is that police officers won’t be able to get to Biggleswade fast enough if, say, there is a disturbance in the town centre.

“Kempston is quite a distance from Biggleswade and there is a real concern about dwindling police resources.”

Councillor Madeline Russell said: “We have some very good PCSOs in 
the town, but it is important to have police officers who can make arrests and who are within easy reach of 
Biggleswade.

“If they are starting and finishing their shifts at Kempston it could take them some time to reach Biggleswade.”

A Bedfordshire Police spokesman denied that response times would increase due to the change.

He said: “As a result of the recent operational policing review, it was decided to concentrate immediate response officers in two locations – Luton for the south and Kempston for the north.

“While officers will be required to attend daily briefings at these locations, their day-to-day policing activity will continue as it currently does, meaning that emergency response times will not be affected.”


 
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Saturday 18 May 2013

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