Smaller beats plan in new police shake-up

Details of the alternative approach to policing were announced by Supt Mike Griffin, head of the Burnley police division which covers all of Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale.

He said: "Every officer in uniform and some in plain clothes will have responsibility for their own area. People want to see officers on the beat although we will also continue to use some of these officers on mobile duties as well.

"The major change is that every officer will have responsibility for a small beat and will be accountable for trying to solve problems in that area including crime, nuisance and road safety.''

With intelligence-led policing tied to responsibility for a particular small area the police hope to get to the root of some of the problems which cause concern to them and the public, he told the Burnley Police and Community Forum meeting at Kibble Bank community centre. At present the division has a small number of officers responsible for vast beat areas. In a few weeks time almost all officers will have responsibility for their own much smaller areas.

The communications system in the division is also being centralised at Burnley.

He said: "At present our police radios can be monitored by any criminal who buys a scanner for £150.

"We have a few expensive radios which cannot be scanned. Every police officer will be supplied from next year with a radio not capable of being scanned by the criminal fraternity.''

An experiment is taking place at Nelson where every officer has a portable telephone. He said: "It costs us but if there is a benefit it is worth it.''

Other changes will involve leaving police stations unmanned at night including Padiham and later more of the 12 police stations in the division.

Sup Griffin said calls to Padiham police station between midnight and 8am amounted to "zilch''.

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