News Release

7th February 2005

MOBILE POLICE STATION IN NORTH LICHFIELD

Following alarm expressed by some residents over a lack of visible policing in North Lichfield, police were out in force on Sunday 6th February backed up by a mobile police station in the Dimbles Lane shopping area. And Michael Fabricant paid them a visit. As well as providing a police presence, crime prevention advice was given to local residents and special locks were made available to make garages and sheds more secure.

Michael Fabricant visited the mobile police station on Sunday afternoon and says: "I know that the police have been carrying out some successful plain clothes operations at night in the North Lichfield area to reduce crime and there have been a number of arrests. But the fact still remains that the public also like to see uniformed police officers in the area. They act as a major deterrent to crime and so I welcome the police initiative to use the mobile police station in Dimbles Lane. Many local residents took advantage of the crime prevention advice being offered by the police.

"Nevertheless, it isn't rocket science that more police on our streets equals fewer criminals. I welcome the Conservative pledge to provide 40,000 more police in the UK: I am told that this would mean more than 160 extra police officers in Lichfield, Burntwood, Tamworth and Burton. That would make a huge difference to community policing and the number of bobbies on the beat. At the moment, Staffordshire, like so many other smaller forces, is having to play a difficult balancing act with scarce police resources".