A lack of police attendance at monthly meetings of Keswick Town Council has been raised again.
At the June meeting in Keswick last night, Cllr Adam Paxon said he had previously raised the issue of non police representation at town council meetings and that he had expected police to attend this month.
Cllr Paxon said he understood that the police could not attend every meeting as there may be good reasons.
“I know we can’t expect them to attend but I would like to feel at some point we would have police attendance at a meeting,” said Cllr Paxon.
His additional comments were then drowned out by a violent cacophony of flatulent exhausts as large numbers of powerful motorcycles roared en-masse through the centre of Keswick; the din drifting up through the town hall windows which had been flung open due to the warm temperature in the chamber.
“That’s the Hell’s Angels arriving!” quipped councillor Rob Nelson, as clerk Vivien Little said traffic noise was the only problem when the windows are open.
Once the stream of motorcyclists had passed through – the first of about three groups last night – she told the meeting that the police had been provided with a list of the dates that the council met and that the town’s PCSO was very keen.
“The police are going to try and come when they can,” she said.
The town now has its own police constable, but his shift pattern did not always coincide with meetings, she added.
The council heard that a “knife amnesty” in Cumbria – called Operation Sceptre and part of a week-long national campaign – had little chance of making much impact in Keswick.
The only places to hand in dangerous weapons were manned stations in Carlisle, Whitehaven, Workington, Kendal or Barrow, which would mean a long trip for anyone in Keswick, the meeting heard.
It was suggested at the meeting that it might help if the police introduced a ‘mobile’ amnesty unit which could travel around those areas now without a station to allow people to hand over weapons.
Allerdale-wide crime statistics presented to councillors showed that the number of reported sexual offences had risen from three to seven, compared to last year. However, overall crime reported to the police was down 12 per cent, according to the figures provided to the council.
