Community safety is increasingly in the spotlight in Rayleigh, with the notable lack of visible police presence, some residents have said our town has become ‘lawless’. With the huge number of police cuts, this austerity measure was surely going to bite at some point.
The town council has been contemplating for some while, how to meet this shortfall in policing resourcing. Ex police sergeant, Cllr Jack Lawmon, had previously mooted a suggestion of forming a ‘Community Safety Panel’ with the town council to explore the options available to the council.
The idea was met with some hesitation from some Councillors (cons) and was deferred until the district councils community safety officer council be consulted.
The town council met on 8th April and the CSO attended. After some debate, it was pleasing to note that Cllr Jack Lawmon’s proposal, seconded by our own Lib Dem Cllr James Newport, was voted unanimously in favour of forming a CSP within the town council.
It now remains to be seen, what the objectives will be and how they can be achieved effectively by RTC.