Lack of police presence in Shropshire is leaving people 'scared to walk streets'

Speaking at a meeting of Whitchurch Town Council, Councillor Jessica McAuley said residents feel unsafe, and that a lack of police officers is behind the problem.

Councillor McAuley made her comments after West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion had spoken to the council, to address its concerns over the way the town is policed.

Councillor McAuley said more needs to be done.

She said: “People do not feel safe walking down the street, even in the middle of the day, to go to the cash machine or to do other things. There is a substantial amount of crime. Sometimes the kids committing the crime know nothing will happen, because a police officer has to come from Shrewsbury to deal with it.

“One night near a cash machine there were about 40 kids, and not one officer of PCSO was there to move them on.

“There simply needs to be more police officers here so people know they are safe, because at the moment they are not.”

Councillors invited Mr Campion to attend Thursday night’s meeting after raising a of concerns about an increase in crime figures, building relationships with the police, a lack of foot patrols, and the future of the town’s police station. He told councillors he believes crime figures are low for the area, and that as a result officers are being deployed in denser areas.

He said: “I understand concerns about the visibility of officers. The crime figures for the area, that we looked at prior to this meeting, are stable figures, maybe the reasons you give are due to people not reporting crime.

“We have to put the most resources in the areas of most need. So Whitchurch crime figures are low, whereas in denser areas like Telford more officers are deployed.”

Other concerns were around striking up a positive relationship between the council and the local police force. Mr Campion dismissed claims that only one police officer was covering the whole of North Shropshire in the evening.

He added: “We would expect the local police force and the council to strike up a relationship, whether that be a monthly report of coming here to talk.

“With regards to one police officer for north Shropshire, that is simply not true.”

Councillors also asked questioned on the future of the police station, which Mr Campion said lies alongside the fire station.

He added: “The station here is past its best.

“There are plans to co-locate with the fire station, but the t’s need to be crossed and the i’s need to be dotted.”