BARNARD Castle politicians are asking police officers to take on criminals with one hand tied behind their back, claims Durham’s chief constable.
According to Durham Police, politicians opposed to the sale of the derelict Bede Kirk police station have “attacked” Chief Constable Mike Barton for expressing support for the proposal, which would generate a six-figure sum to plough into frontline policing.
Earlier this year, the chief constable described the decision as creating a choice “between cops or a copse”.
Last month town councillor Richard Child said he was surprised by police officer comments on the issue, adding that they were “ill-advised”.
He also questioned why serving officers had waded into the debate, saying if anyone should do so it was the crime commissioner.
Responding to the criticism, a defiant Mr Barton insisted he would not remain silent on the issue.
“Some local politicians seem to think that I shouldn’t express an opinion and because I’m a cop I should
just keep my mouth shut,” he said.
“Well it’s because I’m a cop that I have no intention of keeping quiet.
“It matters. It matters whether we have enough officers to keep the people of Barnard Castle safe, it matters whether we can deal with anti-social behaviour and it really matters that we can look after victims of crime”.
Durham’s Police, Crime and Victims’ Commissioner Ron Hogg hopes to sell the vacant Bede Kirk site, which was home to the town’s police station from 1977 until last year, to a Darlington-based developer who wants to build bungalows for the elderly.
Roughly half the 1.36-acre site is occupied by the empty police buildings and half by the station’s grounds.
Police say money raised by the sale would be ploughed back into frontline policing, complementing the town’s new £3.7million police station, which opened in Wilson Street last year.
However, opponents hope to block the sale by having the site declared a protected village green after saying the area is a cherished place.
“There has been a lot of discussion in the last few days as to whether police funding is linked to a rise in violent crime,” Mr Barton said.
“I don’t want to get into that debate, but it is a simple fact that we are dealing with more demands on police time than ever before and we are doing it with 400 fewer officers than we had in 2010.
“I’ve been a cop for 38 years and the one thing I have learned in that time is that we need the resources to do the job, otherwise we’re trying to take on criminals with one hand tied behind our back.
“That’s why I want the sale of the Bede Kirk site to go through – and I won’t stop banging on about it because it matters so much”.
A decision on the village green application is expected to be made by members of Durham County Council next month.
