New police station opens in Fairford (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

New police station opens in Fairford

FIVE-YEAR-OLD Megan Bird officially brought the blue light back to Fairford last week.

The talented Fairford Primary School pupil cut the ribbon on the town's brand new £160,000 police station.

Megan was given the honour after winning a painting competition and her drawing of the London Road building now hangs in its reception area.

Guests at Thursday's opening ceremony, which was attended by Gloucestershire's Chief Constable, Tim Brain, were given a guided tour of the two-storey building.

The station is run by Sergeant Pat Taylor, and two constables are based there plus rural beat officer, PC George Lager.

It is hoped that another officer will be added soon.

Officers will be working between 8am and midnight on weekdays and between 5pm and 1am at weekends, but there will be no set opening times.

Sgt Taylor said: "The station is here for when we start and finish work, and to do paperwork. "The officers are going to be out on the streets, not waiting here for people to come to us."

He promised to look at suggestions that local residents could help run the station by taking down details of incidents when officers were unavailable.

The Fairford officers will be responsible for covering around 19 parishes, including Lechlade and Bibury.

The town's old police station closed in 1999 because the building became to expensive to maintain, and the officers moved to Lechlade.

Plans to build a station on the London Road site stalled when the development because too expensive.

The scheme was rescued by developer Beechcroft Homes, which agreed to build a station as part of a residential development and sell it to Gloucestershire police.

Lechlade police station has now closed.

Chief Constable Brain said: "It would not have been viable to keep two stations going, and Fairford is more central to the whole area.

"This doesn't mean we've forgotten Lechlade, and we have officers assigned to that area."

Fairford mayor, Cllr Quentin Tailford said: "The main problem in Fairford is nuisance crime.

"Having the police in the town will mean officers have a fighting chance to catching the offenders."

Officers at the station recently arrested four teenagers after windows were smashed at the youth centre.

Caption: Painting competition winner Megan Bird, 5, cuts the ribbon to open the new police station in Fairford, watched by Sgt Pat Taylor, left, and Chief Constable Tim Brain.