I am writing in response to J Corbett's letter on August 14 headlined "Police can deal with drunks."
I would like to reassure J Corbett and the wider public that, far from "bleating about inadequate powers" the police in Chippenham are regularly arresting those who have consumed too much alcohol and then act in a disorderly manner.
I believe that it is also right that we consider a range of options to address the problem, a bylaw in relation to drinking alcohol in public places being only one of those options
Others are an effective Pubwatch scheme and a good CCTV system.
I would suggest that the old adage "prevention is better than cure" still holds true.
Addressing this problem will enable my officers to deal with other areas of criminal activity.
I am confident that my staff are "doing the job that they are paid for" and I know they are keen to remove from the streets of Chippenham that small minority who are drunk and offensive to others.
Neil Bagnall
Inspector
Chippenham Police
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