Security in the town centre is a high priority for council
I READ Mr Pallett’s letter last week and wanted to briefly respond to reassure him and other residents that security in the town centre is a high priority for us and unfortunately it is under constant review because of the horrific incidents our country has suffered in the past few years.
We are continually talking to our partners including the emergency services about security, not just in the town centre, but the whole borough.
The measures he mentions such as bollards, use of street furniture and road layouts have and are still being considered. However, the introduction of such measures will involve a number of different agencies and take time to properly consider.
Without wishing to go into too many operational details, we already do consider access to the pedestrian areas when events take place in the town centre and vehicles can be strategically placed to restrict that access.
Our CCTV system and ever-vigilant operators, as well as the intelligence shared between agencies on known offenders, also add more layers of security for the town and these are measures the public are sometimes unaware of.
As a council, what we do have to balance is the need to have a secure town centre but make sure it is one that is still attractive, inviting and an enjoyable place to be
Vigilance is also a key part of our country’s security so I would advise people that if they have any information about possible terrorist activity, then please call the police anti-terrorist hotline 0800 789 321.
It might be worth noting that we are also part of LLR Prepared which is the Local Resilience Forum for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. It requires by law that specific organisations work together to prepare for, respond to and recover from different emergencies.
A lot of work goes in behind the scenes to develop plans for a variety of incidents, plans we all hope we will never have. to implement.
As a final point, LLR Prepared Week takes place soon, between October 9 and 13, and aims to raise awareness of what people, communities and businesses in the city and counties can do to prepare for emergencies. More details will be out soon and I’d encourage people to have a look. As they say, it’s best to be prepared.
Chris Traill, Strategic director for neighbourhoods and community wellbeing, Charnwood Borough Council.