Opinion: ‘Do we have enough police in Peterborough?’

It didn’t make big headlines but one story caught my eye in the PT recently.

It was the story of vandalism at West Ward Bowls Club.

It was low-level petty stuff but I was struck by the comments of a very frustrated club chair Brian Swann.

The attack had been reported to the police but Mr Swann said he had been told they would not be investigating.

A police spokesman responded by saying: “Officers have followed up all available lines of enquiry and at this time the crime has been filed.

“If any further information comes to light this will be investigated.”

You can make your own mind up about that but it doesn’t strike me as a denial of Mr Swann’s claim.

Mr Swann also said club members thought they knew who the culprits were.

Presumably that is something the police could investigate?

We are not dealing with the crime of the century here but clearly if the yobs and the vandals think they can act with impunity, they will.

This is not a go at the police, far from it.

I have huge admiration for the work they do and I believe they are (criminally) underfunded and under-resourced.

Never mind some idiot leaving a tap running at a bowls club, in recent weeks we have seen police struggle to deal with car cruises and impromptu street parties.

These events have inconvenienced and distressed residents who have been unhappy with the police response.

The 400-strong rave in Norman Road sparked residens’ concerns but police said: “Due to other operational commitments and ongoing incidents, officers were not able to immediately attend.’’

This translates as: ‘we were too busy’.

It’s been a similar story with the spate of car cruises.

Peterborough MP Paul Bristow waded in saying: “The police and everyone responsible for law and order in this city need to crack down on illegal parties like this. It is not OK.”

He’s right but one suspects there may have been eyebrows raised among the police top brass to hear the criticism from a member of the party that while in government has seen police officer numbers fall by more than 20,000.

There has been an increase recently but you and me have had to pay for that twice –through our income tax and then via an additional levy from the Cambridgeshire police and crime commissioner.

It is not a question of how many police officers but rather do we have enough?

I think the answer is clear – no, we don’t.