Today I brought the Chief Constable of Essex to meet with the Home Secretary, to discuss boosting Special Constables, and the case for keeping Harlow's Magistrate's Court.
Chief Constable Mr Jim Barker-McCardle also spoke about a number of wider police issues, and the potential impact on policing if we lost the Court. I believe that a Magistrate's Court is vital for Harlow, as we are a major growth town. The Ministry of Justice already admit that our Court is a busy and thriving place, as it is used Monday to Friday.
Some of the potential implications for policing include increased travel time, and time away from the beat for police officers attending court to give evidence and on other business (although it might be possible for officers to give evidence by way of video link in future arrangements). The likely implications for victims and witnesses were also raised as they too would experience longer journeys.
Overall, it was a productive meeting. The Home Secretary was confident that despite the tough decisions that we have to take on the economy, Essex Police will be well-placed to continue their work in Harlow. For example, the Essex Police are committed to keeping Harlow Police Station open for 24-hours a day.
Also, during the meeting, I raised the idea of voluntary 'railway' Special Constables. Their sole focus would be to patrol the platforms to identify any suspicious behaviour, and prevent it. They would be community volunteers - and would have similar powers to other Special Constables. Hopefully, this would help to reduce fatalities on the London to Harlow train line, which have been a problem in recent years.
No comments:
Post a Comment