Jacob Williams https://jacobwilliams.com

Dyfed-Powys police issued a press release yesterday, and as far as I can tell, none of the local news websites have yet covered it – and I really hope they do, because I think it contains some pretty big news.

The press release, seductively titled ‘Dyfed Powys Police to substitute seven front counters across Dyfed Powys with improved services,’ explains that PCSOs using mobile police stations are to replace the front desk staff at seven police stations across the police force, and new Public Information Points (PIPs) in partnership with county councils, are going to help take up the slack.

You might remember back in June, an extraordinary meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council was convened by five councillors requesting that the council should oppose these proposed closures to police front desks. During the meeting which I covered at the time, an amendment to the wording was submitted that had two effects: the original motion (for which the meeting was convened) was watered down so that rather than the council ‘opposing’ the cuts, it was to ‘express concern.’ The other effect was that, should the Chief Constable not listen to this ‘expressed concern,’ the council requested similar facilities to be provided.

I find it difficult to believe that, when Cllr. Adams proposed his amended wording to the motion in the council chamber, he knew nothing relating to the details unveiled in yesterday’s press release. I wonder whether or not far more detail would have been known at that meeting, yet the amendment was proposed as though it was original. I realise that the council meeting was four months ago, and that the finer details would have probably been refined in the time since, but the general feel and tone of the amendment suggests very strongly to me that much more of the operational details were known back in June – they didn’t come from nowhere.

The amendment was worded as follows:

That the Council expresses concern to the Chief Constable about the effects on citizens of the proposed closure of public enquiry offices at three locations in Pembrokeshire; however, in the event of the Chief Constable deciding to proceed, the Council calls upon the Chief Constable to provide similar facilities through partnership arrangements with the Council (subject to cost reimbursement), or with any other organisation.

Proposed by Cllr. Jamie Adams, seconded by Cllr. Ken Rowlands.

Some of the quotes from yesterday’s press release (my emphasis in bold):

Dyfed Powys Police will substitute seven of its front counters across Mid and West Wales with a range of improved services.

The Force is also working in partnership with all four County Councils in Dyfed Powys to provide new Public Information Points (PIPs). These will be based at various locations including Town Halls, Cash Offices and Tourist Information Centres.

At these PIPs the public will be able to: hand in lost/found property, produce documents, access general information about policing services.

The Force has worked closely with the Councils to provide their customer service staff with the appropriate training to enable them to deliver a high standard of service.

It was pushed through with 27 votes for and 16 against, and absolutely no details relating to these PIPs or the council’s involvement with them were discussed. Indeed, during the meeting questions were asked about the legal implications of the changed wording, and the response from the council’s Chief Executive was that they would need to be looked into should the council vote in favour of it.

I didn’t vote for the amendment, because I didn’t believe the original wording submitted by Cllr. Mike Evans needed to be tinkered with. The meeting wasn’t convened to come up with alternatives, and the council couldn’t compel the police force to do anything in any case. The meeting was convened simply to send out a strong clear message from the council, opposing the proposal to close front desk facilities to the public. The wording on the agenda would have done exactly that.

If the amendment proposed by Cllr. Adams was drawn up with the intention of giving the council’s support to these PIPs using council resources, then all of the available details should have been laid out there and then. If those details didn’t exist at that moment in time, then the councillors should not have been directed or expected to support something which they knew nothing about.

I know many who would argue that Pembrokeshire has never had the fairest deal out of Dyfed-Powys police, and the extraordinary meeting was convened with the best intentions to oppose this specific -not in general terms- but this specific method of trying to achieve significant cost reductions.

Unfortunately, the end result of the vote on the subsequent amendment can now be used to imply the council’s support for the closure of front desks of three police stations in Pembrokeshire, or at the very least, support for these “improved services” that are to replace them.

Of those 27 councillors who voted for the amendment, I wonder how many comprehended this scenario when they cast their vote, and whether they would have supported it if they knew what they know now.

The original wording, the amendment, and the voting record are included on the post I made following the extraordinary meeting in June.