Orpington and Biggin Hill police cost-cutting gets mixed response (From News Shopper)

Well Mr Bradshaw, we do a brilliant job and thankfully most people don't think like you. We are the ones that you see on the beat every day, walking the streets and towns come rain or shine. The fact that you didn't have a visit for 3 days has nothing to do with Police Community Support Officers. If you called saying your car was being stolen and the suspects were still there, there would have been an immediate response, the fact that it had already gone made it a non urgent call.

Unfortunately there are not enough resources to treat all calls as urgent, even though as it was your car, you would no doubt think it was urgent.

Community policing has been around for 10 years now, it works very well. I myself have many many success stories I could bore you with. My feet on the streets has made a big difference and bought many a criminal to justice. The same goes for my colleagues. If you need help, we will be there for you, so please don't believe all the nonsense you read in the Daily Hate Mail. We are not wannabee police officers!!!!

Would it be a good idea if police officers could be based in the areas where they are most needed? Perhaps some empty shop fronts could be modernised and made available in the more 'challenging' parts of the borough. Most residents use their 'vibrant' local shops but are not always near a library or swimming pool.

While we are in the mood for moving services which at the moment are considered too expensive because of the buildings they are using, lets have a look at moving some of the services which at present are in that huge expensive building called the Civic Centre. Surely some services could be moved into empty shop fronts 'in the community'? Council chambers and the people in them are segregated from the community. Let them be seen in the community to be connecting with the residents. If it is good enough for one section of our public servants, it should be good enough for all of them.

Apparently the Civil Centre's days are numbered, and so are most of the people who work there. They will, so I have heard be getting rid of most of their staff and out-sourcing virtually everything, so that day will come!

I thought the police station in Orpington town was closed in August last year. I didn't know that we had another one. I am really worried about all the closures of police, fire stations and hospitals.

dag wrote:
I thought the police station in Orpington town was closed in August last year. I didn't know that we had another one. I am really worried about all the closures of police, fire stations and hospitals.

Orpington is not a working police station. At the moment it only houses the Safer Neighbourhood Team. It has been/will be bought by Orpington College. Not sure how long they've got left in it.

Peony wrote:
Would it be a good idea if police officers could be based in the areas where they are most needed? Perhaps some empty shop fronts could be modernised and made available in the more 'challenging' parts of the borough. Most residents use their 'vibrant' local shops but are not always near a library or swimming pool. While we are in the mood for moving services which at the moment are considered too expensive because of the buildings they are using, lets have a look at moving some of the services which at present are in that huge expensive building called the Civic Centre. Surely some services could be moved into empty shop fronts 'in the community'? Council chambers and the people in them are segregated from the community. Let them be seen in the community to be connecting with the residents. If it is good enough for one section of our public servants, it should be good enough for all of them.

Stockwell College, which was a residential teacher training campus which took students from as far away as Tunbridge Wells, was compulsorily sold & then purchased by Bromley Council so as to unify local council services and to save money for ratepayers (thats what they told us at the time, anyway). Following the same, council premises in Beckenham, Orpington, & Penge were then sold off. Orpington's former Civic Hall still stands, next to Orpington train station, it was purchased by a firm of accountants.

I don't want any more Civic Centre work outsourced since I would rather the same was given to locals, rather than rude northeners in Lancashire. Also I don't want the Civic Centre sold since I don't want it turned into a hotel, or worse still have the grounds bricked over for affordable homes for Lundarners. And yes, I am fully aware that Bromley's ruling toffs have a rather good record on protecting our local green areas, whilst Bexley's ruling chavs would have turned our borough into the concrete and tarmac desert that is Bexley.

plasticfantastic wrote:

dag wrote: I thought the police station in Orpington town was closed in August last year. I didn't know that we had another one. I am really worried about all the closures of police, fire stations and hospitals.

Orpington is not a working police station. At the moment it only houses the Safer Neighbourhood Team. It has been/will be bought by Orpington College. Not sure how long they've got left in it.

You the geezer who works from Bromley nick? Only you got to be the only Pcso who has time to post on here during the working day?

Good To Go wrote:

plasticfantastic wrote:

dag wrote: I thought the police station in Orpington town was closed in August last year. I didn't know that we had another one. I am really worried about all the closures of police, fire stations and hospitals.

Orpington is not a working police station. At the moment it only houses the Safer Neighbourhood Team. It has been/will be bought by Orpington College. Not sure how long they've got left in it.

You the geezer who works from Bromley nick? Only you got to be the only Pcso who has time to post on here during the working day?

Ever heard of shift work?

Orpington has plenty of problems, to leave a huge chunk of the largest (geographically) London borough without real local access to their police is a disgrace. Plasticfantastic - you defend the indefensible - and not very well either.

The Original Ranter wrote:
Orpington has plenty of problems, to leave a huge chunk of the largest (geographically) London borough without real local access to their police is a disgrace. Plasticfantastic - you defend the indefensible - and not very well either.

Orpington was at one time an independent borough, the boundaries were roughly the same as the current parliamentary constituency, plus all of Cray, and Knockholt. Whilst I loathe the Tories for setting up Greater Lundarn, mention should also be made of Eric Lubbock who talked Orpington Council into abolishing themselves. and ever since then what was a proud Kentish outer suburban town has degenerated.

I really would like us all out of Greater Lundarn, but since that aint going to happen then at the least Orpington should be given back it's independence from Bromley.

plasticfantastic wrote:

Good To Go wrote:

plasticfantastic wrote:

dag wrote: I thought the police station in Orpington town was closed in August last year. I didn't know that we had another one. I am really worried about all the closures of police, fire stations and hospitals.

Orpington is not a working police station. At the moment it only houses the Safer Neighbourhood Team. It has been/will be bought by Orpington College. Not sure how long they've got left in it.

You the geezer who works from Bromley nick? Only you got to be the only Pcso who has time to post on here during the working day?

Ever heard of shift work?

so what your saying is pcso`s do all types of working shifts like proper police do? no they dont!
and whats with someone wanting to be a pcso for ever when you could use it as a platform to join the proper police force who DO have the powers to arrest someone?
we dont need pcso`s coming on here when they should be working the beat telling us how great they al are when the majority of them havn`t got the bottle to enrol and train to be proper police officers!
either that or it`s someone who lost the deposit on a hired fancy dress police uniform and likes dressing up!
hah hah!