More Police in Town for Easter weekend

Reporter: Ask Bury
Date online: 13/03/2008

People visiting Bury over the Easter weekend will be able to rest easy as £5,000 of extra policing has been laid on thanks to a cash injection from BurySafe.

Traditionally the long weekend has been a very busy one for pubs and clubs in the area and Head of Community Safety Tony Holt wants to make sure it's a happy and safe bank holiday for all, he said; "By providing more police presence on the street we hope that we can prevent any alcohol fuelled incidents and make sure that everyone gets to come to the town centre safe in the knowledge that help is on hand."

Last year there were 22 incidents of violence in Bury town centre over the long Easter weekend from Thursday to Monday. This extra cash will mean seven more PCs and one sergeant in the town from 7pm to 3am on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday - without having to bring in officers from other duties.

Chief Inspector Karan Lee from Bury Police  said: "Although the vast majority of people socialising in the pubs and clubs in Bury are well behaved and law abiding, the additional police presence will send out a clear message to potential trouble-makers that we'll be watching out for them and their actions will not be tolerated. 

"Ongoing initiatives in Bury town centre mean the number of violent crime related incidents are continuing to fall. However, the extra officers on duty will ensure residents can enjoy their outings over the Easter period and feel safe in the knowledge the area is well policed."