Crime fears aired during debate over police levels in Newark

The people of Newark deserve to feel safe and protected by the police, town councillors were told.

The comments were made by Mr Dean Hyde as members backed a motion demanding that the chief constable and Nottinghamshire’s police and crime commissioner explain how policing will be reinforced in Newark after several serious incidents.

The motion was put forward by Mr Keith Girling, a town, district and county councillor, who said he despaired at the way Newark was being sacrificed to the benefit of Nottingham and Mansfield in terms of policing.

He said criminals were coming to Newark because they knew they could get away with it.

“We have been left to the behest of the criminals. We have recently had a shooting, a car set on fire and there is drugs dealing in plain sight of the Town Hall,” he said.

Mr Girling, at a town council meeting when the motion was debated, suggested police were less likely to make arrests because of the strain on fellow officers because the closure of Newark custody suite meant they had to travel to other stations with offenders.

Mr Girling said an extra 200 officers were being recruited for Nottinghamshire but officers were leaving too, and they were not being told where the new officers would be based.

He was concerned people might stop reporting crimes if they felt nothing would be done to investigate them.

The motion called on the chief constable and the police and crime commissioner to expand on a recent answer about the redirection of resources following the closure of Newark custody suite.

It also spoke of the open disregard of authority and the unabated level of lawlessness in the town.

The motion was seconded by Mr David Lloyd, who said people often thought of shootings and stabbing when reference was made to crime, but there were many other issues.

'Enough is enough'

He said Cartergate continued to be used a rat-run to get around the temporary one-way system on Castlegate for Severn Trent tunnelling work, and that people were ignoring signs and parking where they liked.

“They are ignoring the law,” he said.

He said the town council had twice asked for a commitment Newark Police Station would remain.

“They have always replied by saying there will be a police station, not the police station,” he said.

Mr Dean Hyde said: “We have lost the magistrates’ court and the custody suite, what is next — the police station itself?

“Enough is enough. People of this town deserve to feel safe and protected by the police.”

Mrs Gill Dawn said the motion was dear to her heart and she would be supporting it.

Mrs Irene Brown said whenever policing issues were raised they were continually told that things could not be done because of a lack of resources.

“People are frightened to go out of their houses, to go to bingo, to get the bus,” she said.

The police’s council tax share has increased by 6.5% to pay for more officers.

Mr Tipping told the Advertiser last week the rise would help pay for more officers, of which there would soon be 1,940 — up by 100 with a view to increasing the headcount to 2,000.

He said some of the extra officers would be coming to Newark.

The chief constable, Mr Craig Guildford, said he was continuing to make difficult decisions over resourcing. However, he was pleased police officer numbers were increasing, which included Newark.

Both said that when serious incidents required it, specialist resources were sent from all over the county to Newark.