New Congleton Local Policing Unit will bring 'visible presence' and make town safer
A brand new policing division made just for our town has launched this week.
Congleton Local Policing Unit officially launched on Monday afternoon at the town's police station in Market Square.
Congleton LPU will be see staff divided into five blocks across the response wards, and each block will have eight officers and a sergeant.
These will be dedicated to Congleton, often with officers who are from Congleton too.
Cheshire Constabulary's commitment to local policing has seen the force continually review how it best serves the towns of villages across the county, and as part of this, it is introducing the new local policing unit for Beartown.
The dedicated force will bring our town's police force on par with our neighbouring town Macclesfield, who have their own Local Policing Unit.
On November 1, Cheshire Constabulary's Chief Constable, Mark Roberts, and Cheshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, John Dwyer, met officers and staff who will be part of the local unit to support them in their roles.
Chief Inspector Claire Jesson will head up the Local Policing Unit.
She said: "I am really excited and honoured to be the LPU commander at Congleton.
"I joined the police 20 years ago and started my career at Congleton so I know what a fantastic community it is.
"It is a massive investment staffing wise and really great for the area. I'm really looking forward to getting started."
"My key priorities will be around violence and intimidation against women and girls, with a focus on domestic abuse, making sure our patrols are visible and there for the community when they need us and taking a robust stance on all criminality to make our area a hostile environment for criminals.
"I'm looking forward to getting out and meeting all of our partners, key community contacts and working together to listen to what you as a community expect from me."
Dedicated police officers and staff will be based at Congleton and Sandbach police stations serving, Congleton, Holmes Chapel, Dane Valley, Middlewich, Sandbach, Alsager, Odd Rode, Brereton and their surrounding villages.
The decision was made after careful research into effective policing of these areas and the requirements of residents and businesses.
Jesson added: "It is not that there has no been officers here, it is just that they have been covering here and elsewhere.
"We are going back to how Congleton was many years ago with their own identity as an LPU.
"It is a lovely place to live and a really safe community, but definitely as staff we can be more robust in our process.
"More available officers means we can get to people when they need us, which is really really important when that 999 call comes."
The idea identifying a requirement for an LPU in Congleton championed by Chief Constable Mark Roberts and Police Commissioner John Dwyer.
Mr Roberts said: "Local policing is at the forefront of the Constabulary's method of policing and we are continually evolving to meet the demands of our communities and understand the needs of each town and village.
"We never sit still and think 'that'll do', we think, 'how can we do this better?' - That means making changes along the way, whether that's the introduction of new technology or adjusting to meet demand effectively and robustly.
"We hope that you will see more officers on the beat, more operations to fight crime and disrupt criminals, and most importantly, a policing unit that listens to your policing needs to help make your communities even better places to live and work."
Crimes in Congleton East have fallen since March 2021, where there was 108 cases. In the most recent Congleton East data for September 2021 there was just 72 recorded crimes with the most common being violence and sexual offences.
Meanwhile, Congleton West has had crimes arising for the past three months, with a current total of 128 cases. 51 of these are violence or sex crimes. Congleton LPU will likely hope to halt the decline for November 2021.
This totals to 200 crimes in Congleton recorded in September 2021.
Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire John Dwyer, said: "I hear from communities across the county, that some don't see a police presence.
"With the introduction of the Congleton LPU today, it demonstrates the Constabulary are listening to residents' concerns and are doing all they can to provide that visible presence to our communities."
You can meet your local Congleton LPU officers at ward surgeries, which will be advertised online, via Facebook and Twitter, via local newspapers, and posters in local shops and libraries.
If you need to speak an officer you can go to Congleton Police Station on Market Square Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.
Mask wearing is encouraged but not mandatory for the station.
Alternatively, you can contact them via the online reporting page here.
Elsewhere in Congleton crime, the war on drugs has ramped up in our town's pubs.
Please click here to read that article.
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