Residents in Swanage have expressed their fears over the relocation of the town’s police station at a meeting held by the local police and town council last night.
The old Swanage police station has been replaced by a new building nearer the town centre and the move raised concerns amid the community.
A sense of insecurity is prevailing amongst the locals, according to Des Connor, 51, a resident of Swanage.
He said: “The town is under siege, the resources are being taken away, that’s the concern.”
Martyn Underhill, Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “Obviously some people are upset about the closure of the police station but we live in very hard times.”
Locals raised concerns over whether the police force and their resources would be reduced.
Colin Searle, Chief Superintendent and head of operations department, said: “We reassured them tonight that we haven’t reduced our policing resources.”
Jared Parkin, Chief Inspector for Dorset, said: “In fact I would say that the new computer system in the new police station is far superior to the old one.”
The Police coverage from within the Purbeck area including Swanage has actually started to improve, according to the Chief Inspector.
“I would like to think that people’s fears diminish as they message gets out,” he added.
Bill Trite, Mayor of Swanage and a County Councillor, said: “It’s really good that we have meetings like this. The police and the crime commission recognize the need to meet with public on regular basis.”
Main image credit: Harris Badar
