New recieves campaign backing from top cop (From Chard & Ilminster News)

New recieves campaign backing from top cop

3:26pm Tuesday 7th August 2007

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CHIEF Superintendent Nikki Watson, the top police officer in the area, has given her backing to the News' Open More Hours campaign.

The campaign was launched last week to see if there was support for the police station at Ilminster to be opened to the public on more than two days a week and for there to be some weekend opening at the stations in Chard, Crewkerne and Ilminster.

Chief Supt Watson, commander of the Somerset East police district, said: "I would be more than happy to hear from people what they have to say on the issue.

"Although I can't promise anything, if there is a demand for the stations to be opened at certain times of the week then I will certainly look at it."

But she said that statistics showed at present that there appeared to be inadequate evidence to suggest that the stations needed to be open any longer than they currently are.

The police station at Chard is open between 8am and 4pm on five days a week and receives 15 visitors a day; the station at Crewkerne is open from 9am-5pm and gets four or five visitors a day while the Ilminster station is open on Mondays and Thursdays between 9am and 5pm and only sees two visitors a day.

"The stations don't get used very regularly," she said. "People are used to using other forms of communication to get in touch with us these days such as the telephone or the police website."

Chief Supt Watson said the police community support officers were making a positive impact on local policing.

She admitted that opening police stations longer would require additional resources and money - not something freely available - and added she felt people would rather see officers out on the beat rather than sat behind a desk.

"We get feedback from people who say they want to see PCSOs visible out on the streets," she said.

"But I'm happy to hear what people think and what ideas they have got."

o LET us know your views ... write to us at the Chard and Ilminster News, 3a Fore Street, Chard, Somerset, email newsdesk@chardandilminsternews.co.uk or use the form below.

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