[04
SEP 00] CITY
CENTRE COMPANY NEWS
Police To Set Up Shop
In Precinct
Precinct
policing will come to Coventry later this month with the opening of a
mini-station in the city centre to crackdown on attacks on shoppers.
The
new station, which will be outside the Central Library in Smithford Way,
will open on 18 September.
Even
if the temporary building, which will house the officers is not ready by
then, a sergeant and eight PCs will go on duty.
It
follows an arrangement where the City Centre Company paid for extra
officers to be on patrol in the area during the afternoon.
Roger
Bache of the City Centre Company, said:
"We
welcome this move by the police. We reached agreement to help to fund
additional uniformed patrols through the Precinct for a limited period
on six afternoons a week.
"Many
incidents occur during the afternoons and we believe an increased
uniformed presence helps to reduce the number of incidents.
"Now
West Midlands Police has released funds for a Precinct team and to
install a police box which will be used as a base by a serial of nine
officers.
“The
police box will be a reassuring sight for shoppers while the additional
officers will be a major deterrent to crime in the Precinct area."
The
City Centre Company has already helped to make shopping safer by upgrading
and adding to its extensive CCTV camera network, providing bicycles for
use by police officers in city centre streets and car parks and launching
an initiative to prevent thefts from shops.
Inspector
Gary Herrington of West Midlands Police, who is stationed at Little Park
Street police station, said:
"The
City Centre Company helped us to increase our presence in the Precinct
by taking over the payment of officers' overtime.
"Now
West Midlands Police has won a grant from the Government's crime
fighting fund which has enabled us to put together a pro-active crime
reduction team.
“They
will be provide high visibility foot patrols as well as responding to
people's calls."
There
used to be a police box in the Precinct 20 years ago, but this was later
removed because of developments in the area.
Protestors
against plans for public toilets to be installed in the information centre
in the library have said that the facilities would be a magnet for
criminals. The new police station will be next to these toilets.
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