Viv Hargreaves

Editor's Blog

Police to take the initiative

IT’S reassuring to hear that the police will be pounding the streets of Coleford on Saturday to try to flush out the drug dealers blighting Sunnybank.
Seeing the boys in blue out and about is just what the public is crying out for.
It’s not just about catching the criminals, the thin blue line must be seen to be robust to deter them.
And as the constabulary prepares to close stations across the Forest, it’s more important than ever that police are seen in our communities and not just heard on the end of a telephone.
Praise must also be given to the staff of the various other agencies who will be giving up their Saturday to saturate the Coleford estate.
The same initiative is planned for Newent and now all it needs is for the community to do their bit.
But the Coleford crackdown comes hot on the heels of a decision by Gloucestershire Police Authority to reject the advice of Chief Constable Tony Melville who wanted to increase Council Tax by £6 per household to maintain staffing levels. Now we have to wait and see if Mr Melville was right to warn that the cuts will put front line policing in jeopardy.
It would be criminal if operations like the one planned for Saturday are shelved because the Constabulary can’t afford to put bobbies on the beat...