The prospect of a reduced ‘beat’ for police at Lake Parish Council meetings was criticised this week.
Despite a Hampshire Constabulary officer attending Lake Parish Council’s meeting last week, councillors were told the visit would now move to every three months.
The move was branded as disappointing by one councillor who said a police representative should be at their meetings every month to provide an update.
Cllr John Marshall said,
“You are our representative, we do want you to come each month and let us know what is going on.
“We seldom see you. It is disappointing.”
Attended meetings for 17 years
The officer who attended last week’s meeting, and had done for the last 17 years she said, told members she had attended on her day off, having left a personal commitment to be there.
She said her team could not be there every month, but agreed to ask her bosses to provide a more detailed written report to the parish council as opposed to statistics, but it would take more time to do.
The parish clerk said he had been in contact with the superintendent, who had intervened to change the days officers were on duty so they could attend the meetings.
Brading: Lake receiving visits over and above others
Cllr Paul Brading, chairman, said he would take up the matter with Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones, who he was meeting with the other Bay councils in November to discuss common problems.
He agreed a representative should attend more frequently, but compared to Sandown and Shanklin’s town councils — who have had no attendance recently — what Lake was receiving was over and above.
Brading: ‘Abysmal’ reporting system
Cllr Brading also highlighted the ‘abysmal’ reporting system where you could be led down a blind alley online if you were not careful or left waiting on the phone to 101.
He also said there had been examples where the police had been called but had not come and he didn’t know whether that was a numbers issue but the system was broken.
Cllr Brading said,
“You cannot be everywhere, we need Ms Jones to be aware we need something done about it.”
The PCSO said the issue was people could not be bothered to report the incidents, they just put it on Facebook, and if it was not reported there was nothing she could do.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
