Police cuts: Sidmouth coverage could ‘have to take a hit’.
SIDMOUTH’S police coverage could ‘have to take a hit’ in the face of force spending cuts, the town’s sergeant has warned.
SIDMOUTH’S police coverage could ‘have to take a hit’ in the face of force spending cuts, the town’s sergeant has warned.
Devon and Cornwall Constabulary plans to cut 700 officers over four years in the wake of October’s Government Spending Review.
On Monday, PS Andy Turner told town councillors, concerned over early hours coverage: “It is what it is at the moment. Unfortunately, the future is not much brighter… We are all going to have to take a hit.”
He added, however, Sidmouth is “blessed” with cover compared to other areas in the region.
You may also want to watch:
PS Turner said officers having to help and attend incidents in other, short-staffed, East Devon towns would have a “knock-on effect” and stretch Sidmouth’s 24-hour coverage.
He said: “We are one of the better staffed police stations.
Most Read
- 1 Folk festival boosted by £97K grant from Culture Recovery Fund
- 2 Confidence grows for return of traditional high street
- 3 Sidmouth Youth Centre on a mission to help feed families
- 4 Sea Fest organisers remain optimistic for festival's return in 2022
- 5 We're open again! Town's traders welcome back shoppers
- 6 Archie's three marathons in three days charity challenge
- 7 Property of the Week: Priory House, Ottery St Mary
- 8 Anglers travelling further for fishing delights
- 9 The boyhood of Ottery's famous poet - Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- 10 Escot springs out of lockdown and they're wild about opening again
“We do have a police presence 24 hours a day for Sidmouth police station. Generally, staff problems come from illness, secondments and annual leave.
“Over the years we’ve been very well blessed in the town compared to others. Ten police officers are allocated to work seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Police work in pairs.
“We are carrying one or two vacancies and in the current climate, it is unlikely those vacancies will ever be filled.”
Councillor Frances Newth said she had received calls from residents concerned over police coverage in the early hours following an act of vandalism in which four shop windows were smashed in Fore Street last month.
PS Turner said enquiries were ongoing into the incident.