This item was placed on the agenda of the Amenities C'ttee in, where it is standard Town Council Policy to fund the salaries of two Police Comminity Support officers, to a background of complaints concerning the lack of public visibility of said PCSO's.
"8. To consider approval of annual Town Council contribution to part-fund two Police Community Support Officers up to the budget heading of £21,000 (estimated cost supplied £18,350)"
The General Purposes committee, in response to complaints of PCSO presence vanishing, rumours of the Todmorden Police Station being "mothballed" and concerns that locally-funded PCSO s were being deployed in other parts of the Calder Valley.
Earlier that day I had a chat with Sgt. Bowden, who was due to attend the Town Council to discuss rumoured closures, and he assured me that the claim the station was being closed was nonsense, and the station was being invested in. I suggested this was pre-election scaremongering by the Liberal Democrats, and he said "he couldn't possibly comment".
At the Town Council after a lengthy presentation of how the Police had cut crime by 3.5%, the chair of the General Purposes committee David O'Neill raised the complaints along with the added complaint that the West Yorkshire Police had failed to send a representative to an Accident Prevention Council meeting. Sgt. Bowden explained that they were responding to a priority call, which must come first. That must be taken at it's face value, I think.
Other members of the Council disagreed that PCSO's were not being seen but after the meeting I spoke to the Chair of the APC who told me that at one time the Todmorden Police Station had a Land Rover, a Police Van and at least three marked cars outside the station, now there is rarely more than one vehicle in attendance.
The vote will be taken over funding the PCSO's at the next Amenities C'ttee meeting, which as always, is open to the public to attend.
"8. To consider approval of annual Town Council contribution to part-fund two Police Community Support Officers up to the budget heading of £21,000 (estimated cost supplied £18,350)"
The General Purposes committee, in response to complaints of PCSO presence vanishing, rumours of the Todmorden Police Station being "mothballed" and concerns that locally-funded PCSO s were being deployed in other parts of the Calder Valley.
Earlier that day I had a chat with Sgt. Bowden, who was due to attend the Town Council to discuss rumoured closures, and he assured me that the claim the station was being closed was nonsense, and the station was being invested in. I suggested this was pre-election scaremongering by the Liberal Democrats, and he said "he couldn't possibly comment".
At the Town Council after a lengthy presentation of how the Police had cut crime by 3.5%, the chair of the General Purposes committee David O'Neill raised the complaints along with the added complaint that the West Yorkshire Police had failed to send a representative to an Accident Prevention Council meeting. Sgt. Bowden explained that they were responding to a priority call, which must come first. That must be taken at it's face value, I think.
Other members of the Council disagreed that PCSO's were not being seen but after the meeting I spoke to the Chair of the APC who told me that at one time the Todmorden Police Station had a Land Rover, a Police Van and at least three marked cars outside the station, now there is rarely more than one vehicle in attendance.
The vote will be taken over funding the PCSO's at the next Amenities C'ttee meeting, which as always, is open to the public to attend.