Police chief slammed for reluctance to deal with illegal parking
Wednesday, 5th September 2012.
Members of the public attended a town council meeting last night to launch a tirade against Haverhill's senior police officer for his reluctance to deal with motorists parking illegally in the town centre.
Insp Peter Ferrie had been quoted publicly last week saying he was not prepared for his officers to spend time dishing out parking tickets and urging the public to ditch the issue next priority-setting public meeting on Monday.
But Steve Lomas and his wife Beryl spoke up at Haverhill Town Council's public forum last night criticising Insp Ferrie.
"To me, peopleparking in High Street are committing a civil disturbance, which is against the law," Mr Lomas said.
"It is not Insp Ferrie's call to say he will police just where he wants to."
Town clerk Will Austin pointed out police had tried taking action but it had had no effect whatsoever on the motorists.
"Therefore it's a civil disturbance," said Mr Lomas. "Last week there was a funeral and the funeral directors had to move people and they couldn't find some of them."
Cllr Clive Turner said: "A very selfish minority of people are behaving in this way.It is the responsibility of that selfish minority to look to their behaviour and its consequences, maybe in the form of barriers."
Councillors pointed out policing priorities were set at public Safer Neighbourhood Team meetings and Mr and Mrs Lomas should take their protest to those, but Mr Lomas said that was exactly what they had done.
"At the last meeting every single group of people raised parking in the street as an issue. But Insp Ferrie doesn't want to take it up."
Later in the meeting the campaign for pedestrianising High Street was an agenda item for the council, and members agreed unanimously that it should be their goal.
Mr Austin reported on a recent meeting he and town mayor Cllr Patrick Hanlon had had with Suffolk County Council engineer Luke Barber who was the lead officer on the current town centre project.
They had asked him how to influence the county council in favour of pushing ahead with pedestrianisation.
He had suggested lobbying Cllr Guy McGregor, the county council's transport portfolio holder.
"I have been talking to High Street businesses," Mr Austin said, "and I get the sense that there isn't the level of objection which has been claimed.
"One business told me they had only signed the petition against street closure because they thought it was going to be 24/7."
Mr Austin suggested he re-surveyed the businesses, and said Mr Barber had suggested the council should look at putting together a smaller and more representative group for the county council to work with, rather that the Haverhill Area Working Party of St Edmundsbury Borough Council, which currently oversees the issue.
Other suggestions were barriers operated by a private security firm, and getting an independent review of the situation done.
But Cllr Maureen Byrne said there should be no cost to the town council of any action in getting the street closed off.
"There is a need for access for some businesses, but it has been exaggerated," she said.
Cllr Turner suggested getting random visits from a towaway company,as this had proved effective in St Ives and would be self-financing from the payments made by motorists to get their cars back.
Insp Peter Ferrie had been quoted publicly last week saying he was not prepared for his officers to spend time dishing out parking tickets and urging the public to ditch the issue next priority-setting public meeting on Monday.
But Steve Lomas and his wife Beryl spoke up at Haverhill Town Council's public forum last night criticising Insp Ferrie.
"To me, peopleparking in High Street are committing a civil disturbance, which is against the law," Mr Lomas said.
"It is not Insp Ferrie's call to say he will police just where he wants to."
Town clerk Will Austin pointed out police had tried taking action but it had had no effect whatsoever on the motorists.
"Therefore it's a civil disturbance," said Mr Lomas. "Last week there was a funeral and the funeral directors had to move people and they couldn't find some of them."
Cllr Clive Turner said: "A very selfish minority of people are behaving in this way.It is the responsibility of that selfish minority to look to their behaviour and its consequences, maybe in the form of barriers."
Councillors pointed out policing priorities were set at public Safer Neighbourhood Team meetings and Mr and Mrs Lomas should take their protest to those, but Mr Lomas said that was exactly what they had done.
"At the last meeting every single group of people raised parking in the street as an issue. But Insp Ferrie doesn't want to take it up."
Later in the meeting the campaign for pedestrianising High Street was an agenda item for the council, and members agreed unanimously that it should be their goal.
Mr Austin reported on a recent meeting he and town mayor Cllr Patrick Hanlon had had with Suffolk County Council engineer Luke Barber who was the lead officer on the current town centre project.
They had asked him how to influence the county council in favour of pushing ahead with pedestrianisation.
He had suggested lobbying Cllr Guy McGregor, the county council's transport portfolio holder.
"I have been talking to High Street businesses," Mr Austin said, "and I get the sense that there isn't the level of objection which has been claimed.
"One business told me they had only signed the petition against street closure because they thought it was going to be 24/7."
Mr Austin suggested he re-surveyed the businesses, and said Mr Barber had suggested the council should look at putting together a smaller and more representative group for the county council to work with, rather that the Haverhill Area Working Party of St Edmundsbury Borough Council, which currently oversees the issue.
Other suggestions were barriers operated by a private security firm, and getting an independent review of the situation done.
But Cllr Maureen Byrne said there should be no cost to the town council of any action in getting the street closed off.
"There is a need for access for some businesses, but it has been exaggerated," she said.
Cllr Turner suggested getting random visits from a towaway company,as this had proved effective in St Ives and would be self-financing from the payments made by motorists to get their cars back.
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