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Moving police cells 20 miles away from Weston 'makes no sense'

Weston-super-Mare faces losing its police custody cells in a radical shake-up.

Avon and Somerset police announced the proposal to process offenders from the resort at a new centre which will be built in Bridgwater, almost 20 miles away.

But Assistant Chief Constable Rod Hansen insisted that, despite the extra journey, the new centre would free up officers' time when he informed North Somerset Council of the plans.

He told councillors: "We will have to travel 20 minutes to the custody suites in Bridgwater, but they will drop them off and then go back to the streets.

"At the moment there are significant blockages in the current accommodation and the new system will mean officers are back on the streets quicker."

If approved by the Government, the move will take place in 2014.

The proposed Southern Police Campus at Bridgwater's Express Park would also house the force's road policing unit, also currently based in Weston. The costs of the move are uncertain at this stage, but it will be funded by private finance.

Mike Bell, the Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Weston-super-Mare, says the move "makes no sense".

He said: "The police prefer to spend money in Bridgwater and waste 40 minutes a time sending our officers down the motorway accompanying offenders to their new regional centre. We have precious few bobbies on the beat in Weston as it is, without them providing taxi services to Bridgwater."

Comments...

By billben1 at 22:06 on 12/02/10

I think its a great idea, we have been using the town of bridgwater to store criminals for years, we may as well make it official!

By jaybar1 at 15:01 on 07/02/10

Another ludicrous idea! What needs to happen is a complete review of policing in general with the aim to put the bobby back on the street and not completeing mountains of paperwork every time an arrest is made - we all know most of the paperwork has been invented to avoid litigation. Stop **** footing around with criminals, stop worrying about their treatment and creature comforts, and start to protect the law abiding citizens of this country - that's what we all pay for!
For one reason or another, many criminals don't pay like the rest of us and then expect their rights to be upheld when they get caught. The vast majority of crimes should automatically deprive the purpitrators of their rights - justice dealt out to compensate for the loss of the right to live peacefully, without fear in a safe community, by the majority of people who are law abiding.
Stop listening to the 'do-gooders'!!

By wtpsurveying at 16:09 on 04/02/10

Isnt it time for a MAJOR COMMONSENSE REBELION - Just a bit more of the Lunacy we have come to expect from Local Authorites who, in the interests of cutting costs do not consider the cost of travel, travelling time and presumably they will be providing extra bobbies on the beat to cover this.