Police act over town shortages (From Free Press Series)

Police act over town shortages

ACTION has being taken to address the lack of police cover in and around Monmouth.

Manpower problems, which forced the town's police station to close for periods last summer, have been resolved, says Superintendent Jon Burley but he added that he has not been able to put extra officers into the town.

He told the Free press that 24-hour police cover had been restored to the town and crime induction officers had been allocated 'ward areas' to deal with initial calls to the station.

Mr Burley said: "Because there has been no increase in resources at the moment, these ward managers will still have to do response duties, added Mr Burley.

"We can try and do the best we can but we have to spread the various people across the various roles they have. They will do what they can but they will have to do this between the various roles they have."

Two community support officers have also recently been allocated to Monmouth. Mr Burley added: "The temporary shortage in Monmouth has been resolved. Whether the town has got enough personnel as far as the inspector and the community is concerned is another issue. Public expectation is far greater than we are able to provide at the moment, but we are putting resources in place to make sure Monmouth gets the cover it deserves."

When Monmouth police station is closed to the public, the telephone outside the station is directly linked to the call centre in Cwmbran where there is some one on hand 24-hours a day.

And further initiatives in Monmouth include a field intelligence officer being used to target more persistent crime in the town.

But community volunteers are still needed to man the station so that it can remain open to the public while officers respond to calls.

And special constables are also required for Monmouth. The role is for unpaid volunteers who are specially trained and help patrol the streets in uniform. They are indistinguishable from regular officers and the specials have proved to be an effective way to police local communities.

Police surgeries are now being held at the One Stop in Monmouth for local residents who want to discuss crime issues with officers.