On patrol! New Police Community Base opens on The Heath

Runcorn: December 14, 2015: A new Police Community Base has opened on The Heath Business and Technical Park to enable faster response times as well as allowing neighbourhood officers longer out on patrol.

The new local policing unit is one of 20 community bases set up by Cheshire Constabulary and will house PSCOs Colin Marples and Emma Bennett.

“Because The Heath Business and Technical is literally right in the middle of the Runcorn policing ward, it’s a brilliant location for us,” said PSCO Marples. “We can get to anywhere in the neighbourhood quickly and it allows us to stay out on patrol and be visible for longer as there’s less need to travel back to Runcorn Police Station’.

He added: “It also has the added benefit that it allows us to interact with the public thanks to the huge footfall on site and the number of community events The Heath hosts. Its Tea Dance, for example, provides a great opportunity for us to provide crime prevention advice to the elderly as well as discuss any concerns they may have about crime and anti-social behaviour in the area.”

In the New Year the PCSOs hope to start a monthly surgery where members of the public can pop in to discuss any crime concerns with the local neighbourhood policing team.

PSCSO Marples said: “We always have an open door policy as it’s crucial to hear information from members of the public as it helps us to prioritise any problems in the neighbourhood and, when it’s combined with other information, helps to set the policing priorities for the area.”

Lesley Lunt, The Heath’s Sales and Marketing Manager, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Cheshire Constabulary’s latest Community Base to The Heath. We’ve always had a great working relationship with the neighbourhood officers and having them now working on site provides a great opportunity for both resident businesses and the local community to get to know the team and to learn about the crime prevention support available.”

PAUL SMITH ASSOCIATES
14th December 2015