Police promise faster service

Published 22 Jan 2012 12:00

MOTORISTS can expect faster response times when Thames Valley traffic cops join forces with their Hampshire counterparts this month.

The pledge by Chief Superintendent Chris Shead, who is heading the joint unit, comes despite around 70 officers being axed in the Thames Valley, Hampshire and Isle of Wight as part of the collaboration.

Ch Supt Shead said the partnership will be most noticeable in border areas, with Hampshire units patrolling in Berkshire, and vice versa, and officers from both forces joining mixed patrols. But he promised the public will see the biggest difference in response times, with control staff having access to officers on both sides of the border.

Ch Supt Shead said: "People will find themselves with an improved service. If there's a collision on a bit of the M4 close to the Hampshire border, at the moment you will only get Thames Valley units responding. Under the collaboration, if a Hampshire unit is closer they will be deployed."

The police chief also dismissed suggestions that the officers will be hindered by a lack of local knowledge and that cops attending a cross-border call will be leaving their own patch without cover.

The forces agreed to the joint operations units (JOU), which also includes a partnership on firearms and operations support, such as training and dog handling, in November 2010 and this week signed the required legal agreements. Roads is the first part of the JOU being launched and will be followed by operations support and, by the end of the year, firearms.

The move will save around £6.7m for Thames Valley Police in the coming financial year, with around 30 officers being cut from the two other units. The forces already share ICT services and Ch Supt Shead said they will continue to look at other areas in which resources can be pooled.

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This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 19 Jan 12

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