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Dismay over police enquiry office snub
CIVIC leaders in Cricklade and Malmesbury have expressed their dismay at Wiltshire police's decision not to reopen enquiry offices in the two towns while reopening three others across North Wiltshire.
The force announced this week the enquiry offices in Chippenham, Trowbridge, and Marlborough would reopen for the first time since a number of offices were closed across the county.
The decision to reopen the three centres follows a review of the closures in February.
A spokesman for Wiltshire police told the Standard that there are no plans at present to reopen enquiry offices in either of the two towns.
David Tetlow, chairman of Cricklade Town Council, said: "Cricklade residents will be disappointed and the town council is very disappointed particularly as we have been keen to see it reopened.
"From our point of view it helps to build relationships with the police and in terms of keeping them informed with what the issues are locally.
"If residents want to talk to police they are encouraged to use the phone outside the station and that seems crackers when there's an officer on the other side of the glass.
"We have been told that can't open the front door because they maybe called out to an emergency."
Malmesbury Mayor John Lawton said: "I would hope that the chief constable will look at Malmesbury and consider the importance of reinstating the services that were once here.
"People need to regain confidence in the police's ability to respond quickly and to report local knowledge without holding for a long time on an 0845 number."
Wiltshire police's chief constable Brian Moore pledged to restore the county's lost services' when he took up his post at the start of the year.
He said this week: "While the business case for closing the enquiry offices was sound, and Wiltshire Police will not waste public funds on unnecessary areas of our service, public satisfaction with the service this Force provides is one of our highest priorities.
"In order to better meet the needs of the public and ensure satisfaction with our service, it is clear that we do need to re-open enquiry offices in some locations."
9:27am Tuesday 18th March 2008
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CommentPosted by: MikeS, cricklade on 12:50pm Tue 18 Mar 08
My council tax bill shows that Wiltshire Police is claiming an increase of 4.3% this year whilst still failing to provide basic services such as responding to telephone calls, making officers available to the public, or indeed investigating crime (they expected me to make my own enquiries!). Where exactly is our money going?
My council tax bill shows that Wiltshire Police is claiming an increase of 4.3% this year whilst still failing to provide basic services such as responding to telephone calls, making officers available to the public, or indeed investigating crime (they expected me to make my own enquiries!). Where exactly is our money going?
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