Hugh Lansley Police are ever more removed

Some weeks following the COVID-19 lockdown a friend lost a handbag in Pinkneys Green.

It contained around £200 in notes and debit cards so it was a serious matter for her.

I tried to report it to Maidenhead police station without success.

Why?

The main door was locked and a telephone at the threshold was the only means of contact, however, it didn’t work.

No doubt this was as a result of the COVID-19 situation.

I then tried to call Thames Valley Police but they informed me the lost property service had been suspended and that there was no way the police could help me.

Interestingly the car park was full of police cars so the station was manned.

Even more interestingly there were no spaces for the citizens’ cars.

The lost handbag was trivial compared with other calls upon the police assistance.

However, in my opinion a police station should be manned day and night and open to the public especially as a place of refuge but this doesn’t apply apparently.

It seems to me the police service is in urgent need of a complete overhaul.

We the citizens pay the costs of running the service but get less than adequate support in return.

No doubt the police will blame cuts which have been applied over the last few years but my response is they should make up for the cuts by making savings.

For example there are 43 police forces in England and Wales, each with its own costs which often duplicate each other's.

Does such a small country need 43 forces? I think not.

Some of those costs are associated with the salaries of the top brass.

Chief constables (43 of them) earn between £136,000 and £190,000 each; Deputy chief constables between £118,000 and £146,000; assistant chief constables between £98,000 and £111,000.

Assuming each force has one CC, two DCCs and two ACCs, that gives an overall cost of around £25million.

By reducing the number of forces by 33 per cent, a saving of around £8million could be made, enough to pay for 330 new constables.

You may like to know the Chief Constable of the Met Police Force earns £280,000 compared with the Prime Minister’s £150,000 and most chief constables earn in excess of this.

Something is rotten in the state of our police forces but not only in senior officers’ salaries. In the latest Inspector’s report only one force was rated ‘outstanding’, 28 ‘good’ whilst the remainder ‘needing improvement’ (14).

Hopefully Thames Valley was among the ‘goods’.

Having been so critical I must add that I have received excellent service on the few occasions in the past when I’ve needed it.

I realise that police officers in the lower ranks do a dangerous and sometimes thankless job but doubt they are fully supported and motivated by the ‘brass’.

Finally I have to say, the absence of police officers patrolling the streets of Maidenhead is in stark contrast with my experience in other countries e.g. France, Italy, Spain, Germany, USA and Japan where foot patrols were evident in cities and towns of comparable size to Maidenhead.

Maybe the 4,250 warranted officers in the Thames Valley force should take note, especially the Chief Constable.