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27 September 2006 - From On the Beat to
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The residents of a small village in Cerney Wick, Gloucestershire have
expressed their concerns over the removal of their Community Support Officer
Lesley Pooley, from patrolling the village on foot. Police patrols
will now be made within the safety of vehicles.
Police bosses confirmed to the local residents, that lanes in the area were
considered to be dangerous due to their narrowness and high hedges, which would
pose a problem with drivers being unable to see the officer on patrol.
Officer Pooley has been on foot patrol around the village for a period of three
months and has built up good community relations amongst the residents.
Maurice McKee, clerk of the parish council said:
"Do criminals need footpaths to carry out crimes? If they don't, why do
the police need a footpath to patrol?
"It was precisely because the area was so rural that it needed a bobby on
the beat.
"This is a small, commuter village so there are a lot of vulnerable, empty
properties during the day. This is the world gone mad.
"Lesley is a superb PCSO and she's being stopped from doing her job by red
tape. It's not her fault that her superiors take this ludicrously fussy attitude
to health and safety."
Gloucestershire Police have commented on the situation and said:
"There are legitimate safety concerns about the roads in Cerney Wick that
are particularly narrow and haven't got any pavement or street lighting.
"For safety reasons those roads don't lend themselves to foot patrols so
in future we'll be doing them in vehicles."
As employees, Gloucestershire Police bosses must consider the risks to
officers involved in patrolling on foot, in order to comply with the employers
"duty of care" as stated in the Health and Safety at Work etc Act (1974).
Article by Alexandra Johnston
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