Newport police petition 'is misleading public' - claim

The petition, started by Councillor Peter Scott, calls for "a larger police presence for our growing town" and a permanent, public base for officers in the town. Digital and physical copies of the petition have been signed more than 1,100 by residents.

But police and crime commissioner John Campion, one of the people the petition is aimed at, said that it was doing nothing but "whipping up feelings of unsafeness".

"I think that the petition is fundamentally misleading the public," he said.

"West Mercia Police have about 2,000 warranted officers across the force. Here in Telford we have a significant number available to keep our communities safe.

"A physical building for police officers does not keep people safe. Engaged police officers with the right technology doing the right work will keep communities safe. I think this petition is whipping up feelings of unsafeness that does not exist and misleading our community."

Mr Campion said the right resources were available to the town.

"We look at the statistics in Newport and the level of crime has remained static," he said.

"We've seen the way we work change, we've seen laptops and mobile phones being issued to frontline cops so they can spend time in the community. I believe the right resources are here and in times of emergency I've got the reassurance that local cops can surge the right amount of resources to meet that need."

But Councillor Scott hit back at Mr Campion, adding that the PCC was not aware of what happens in the town on a daily basis.

"One of the big issues is that Mr Campion, or even our MP Mark Pritchard, are not on the ground in Newport.

"I'm a very active borough councillor, I get a lot of contact, much of which doesn't even go directly to the police. I have people concerned about serious issues where they don't have confidence that police will actually help them due to the fact there's no face to face contact.

"What I'm asking John Campion and Mark Pritchard for is to look for a more permanent solution where we can expect to see police on the street during the day time, so that our concerns are dealt with promptly and properly.

"We're the second biggest town in Telford & Wrekin. We shouldn't be seen as second rate.

"You can't say 1,100 people have signed this petition because they're happy. They're seeing something different from what John Campion is seeing."