Issue - items at meetings - Petition - Closure of Acomb Police Station

Members are asked to consider a petition presented to a meeting of full Council on 5 October 2006. The petition was presented by Cllr Bartlett on behalf of local residents seeking the re-opening of Acomb Police Station.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Leader be advised to:

(i) Note the report;

(ii) Support the longer term plan to provide offices/access points at public buildings throughout the Council area at which residents can interface with the Police;

(iii) In the interim, request that the North Yorkshire Police re-open the Acomb Police Station to public access for a trial period – if necessary, initially, only at weekends – to assess the numbers of residents wishing to use such a facility and to determine the scale and nature of the issues raised;

(iv) Arrange for the Neighbourhood Pride Unit to fully support any such initiative, for example by distributing publicity about any new police opening hours, in the areas of the City affected.

Decision of the Executive Leader

RESOLVED: That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON: To respond to the issues raised in the petition.

Members considered a petition presented to a meeting of full council on 5 October 2006. The petition was presented by Cllr Bartlett on behalf of local residents seeking the re-opening of Acomb Police Station. The petition was attached as Annex 1 to the report.

The petition contained the names of 165 local residents and stated that there is a strong feeling within the local community that people want to be able to drop into a locally accessible building where a member of the police force is available to be able to give advice, receive reports of crime and disorder, and discuss local community safety issues.