Following alarm expressed by some residents over a lack of visible
policing in North Lichfield, police were out in force on Sunday 6th
February backed up by a mobile police station in the Dimbles Lane
shopping area. And Michael Fabricant paid them a visit. As well as
providing a police presence, crime prevention advice was given to local
residents and special locks were made available to make garages and
sheds more secure.

Michael Fabricant visited the mobile police station on Sunday afternoon
and says: "I know that the police have been carrying out some
successful plain clothes operations at night in the North Lichfield area
to reduce crime and there have been a number of arrests. But the fact
still remains that the public also like to see uniformed police officers
in the area. They act as a major deterrent to crime and so I welcome
the police initiative to use the mobile police station in Dimbles Lane.
Many local residents took advantage of the crime prevention advice being
offered by the police.

"Nevertheless, it isn’t rocket science that more police on our streets
equals fewer criminals. I welcome the Conservative pledge to provide
40,000 more police in the UK: I am told that this would mean more than
160 extra police officers in Lichfield, Burntwood, Tamworth and Burton.
That would make a huge difference to community policing and the number
of bobbies on the beat. At the moment, Staffordshire, like so many
other smaller forces, is having to play a difficult balancing act with
scarce police resources".

Left to right: Councillor Mike Fryers (Chadsmead
Ward), Michael Fabricant, Councillor Pat Brooks (Curborough Ward), PC
Dean Cooper, and Sergeant Diane Shannaghan outside the mobile police
station.