Barlow's brief

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Macclesfield borough needs more officers on the street, like these PCSOs in nearby Salford.
Macclesfield borough needs more officers on the street, like these PCSOs in nearby Salford.
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Police must give us what we want

Vic Barlow
30/ 4/2008

I WAS ruminating today on the demise of the village bobby.

For decades PC John Elcock served the people of Rainow, where my kids grew up.

He knew everyone by name, and no, he wasn’t a jolly red-faced plod but a rather stern no-nonsense copper.

He didn’t set out to be everyone’s friend – and he wasn’t – but he did care and wasn’t averse to ferrying sick patients to the hospital in his own car.

Criticism of the police seemed like a betrayal and, as a result, was rarely heard. You couldn’t ask PC Elcock to find your kid’s missing bike then criticise the constabulary. It didn’t seem right.

Thanks to John Elcock, generations of local schoolchildren grew up believing police officers were their friends, until the whole idea of community policing fell out of favour.

"Bobbies on the beat do not catch criminals," came the battle cry from fast-track management, who rushed to dismantle the system.

Within a decade, our once very visible police force slipped into anonymity. John Elcock and his ilk were put out to grass, police houses sold and stations closed.

Now, a quarter of a century later, community policing is the new buzz phrase.

It’s the panacea for street crime, drug dealing and anti-social behaviour. It’s taken the Home Office 25 years to discover what anyone in any village in Britain could have told them from day one.

So, if Cheshire Police want an extra 17 per cent tax, can they at least have the good grace to give residents what they want? More bobbies on the beat.

Last time Cheshire Constabulary trousered a whopping 19 per cent increase they found a multitude of reasons to explain why it didn’t result in any more officers on the streets.

This time, it won’t wash.

The views expressed on this page are Vic Barlow's and not necessarily those of the Express


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Most recent 2 of 2 user comments

   ah yes Vic, the Dixon of Dock Green era, jumpers for goalposts etc.

I didnt realise your village was plagued by crime Vic? Tell us all about the problems in your village and give your story some credence.

The Satisfied Customer
5/05/2008 at 04:22
   I shouldn't hold your breath on that. They have known for a long time what WE want, and they have never given it yet.
A Sceptic
2/05/2008 at 22:16
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