A RENEWED call for Wokingham to reopen its police station has been made with the presentation of a petition to Wokingham Borough Council.
At the virtual meeting held on Thursday, November 19, Cllr Maria Gee, Liberal Democrat councillor for Westcott, said: “People in Wokingham Town are fed up with the increasing vandalism in the town. We miss having a local police station and an obvious police presence in the town, particularly at night.
“Fewer police on the streets and the lack of a station makes criminals more confident that they will not be caught, resulting in more opportunistic crime.
“The vandalism to the Wokingham Town centre Christmas tree, the theft or vandalism of CCTV systems, and antisocial behaviour and drug-taking in our parks, are examples of vandals and criminals thinking they can act without being caught.”
Cllr Gee added: “Over the last 10 years, police numbers were cut nationally by 20,000 and local police stations closed.
“One of the casualties of police station closures is Wokingham Town centre. If police numbers are going to be restored then the residents of Wokingham Town should be beneficiaries of this.
“We recognise and welcome the recent action and meeting by officers with residents in Howard Palmer Gardens and, with a local police station, we believe the problems that occurred there would more easily be nipped in the bud.”
She said that more than 500 residents had signed the petition and that it would also be presented to the home secretary Priti Patel, Wokingham MP Sir John Redwood, Thames Valley Police chief constable John Campbell and the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Anthony Stansfield.
