9:50am Thursday 15th February 2007
By Hayley Court
MAYOR of Calne Colin Viner is livid that the number of permanent police in the town are to be halved.
The ten officers at Calne Police Station in Silver Street will be cut to just four in a reorganisation later this month.
In addition, an unconfirmed number of officers will be based at Chippenham where they will be briefed every morning before travelling to patrol Calne.
Four Police Community Support Officers will also be based at Calne but Coun Viner says that is not good enough.
The 57-year-old said: "It is disgusting that most people committing crimes in the town will have time to vandalise something, stand back and admire their work and then amble off home to watch tv all before the police arrive in the morning."
"I remember in the 60s when there was just 5,000 people in the town and we must have had at least 17 coppers on the beat.
"Why has the number fallen so dramatically even though we now have 13,500 people in the town?
But Inspector Gavin Williams has vowed that the four-man neighbourhood unit will improve policing in Calne.
Calne Police Station's enquiry office has been closed for almost one year, leaving residents who want to report a crime out in the cold.
The four full-time police officers who form the neighbourhood policing unit will deal with neighbourhood issues such as vandalism, anti social behaviour and problems involving pubs, supermakets and off-licences.
Inspector Williams said: "These officers can go about their duties without being dragged into emergency calls and serious crime investigations. They will make themselves known in neighbourhoods around Calne and will deal with local concerns about crime relating to anti-social behaviour."
The neighbourhood policing team will be supported by officers who will report for duty in Chippenham before being sent straight out to patrol Calne.
Details of the changes at Calne police station were outlined to members of the town council last week.
Insp Williams, whose patch now includes Chippenham and Corsham, knows Calne well as he was based there as a sergeant.
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