Have a say on town policing

The police are to man a stall in Southwell Market Square so residents can have their say on policing in the town.

Southwell’s safer neighbourhood team — a beat officer and two police community support officers — will be at the Saturday market on May 17.

They will be joined by an officer offering crime prevention advice.

Residents can ask about a recent reorganisation of policing in Southwell.

Response officers covering Newark and Sherwood are now based in either Newark or Ollerton, not Southwell.

Mr Brendan Haigh, the chairman of the Southwell Safer Neighbourhood Group, a community partnership that tackles crime and disorder, resigned in protest.

He welcomed the idea of the police stall. “The more communication with residents the better,” he said.

But Mr Haigh said the police needed to act on what residents told them.

“It is a question of actually doing things and changing things where necessary,” he said.

“However much they communicate, the residents are undoubtedly going to say they want response officers stationed at Southwell.

“It is no use just communicating. It needs action to restore the position and to reverse the decision they made.”