Labour vows to reopen police cells in Hartlepool under pledges to help make town safer

The custody suite in Avenue Road was mothballed by Cleveland Police in early 2019 with people arrested in town normally being taken to Middlesbrough since.

Paul Williams, who is standing as Labour’s candidate for the post of Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner, says he will prioritise funding to deal with suspects in Hartlepool once more.

He said: “I will reopen Hartlepool police cells. People who commit crime in Hartlepool will be dealt with in Hartlepool.

“It will be easier for police to process Hartlepool arrests when these cells are open again. They won’t need to take time to drive to Middlesbrough and wait.”

Hartlepool Labour Party have also included the reopening of the custody suite as one of a number of policies aimed at making neighbourhoods safer.

Other policies include ensuring Hartlepool gets a fair share of new police officers and a return to community policing with more ‘bobbies on the beat’, and introducing a 24-hour response service to deal with noise and antisocial behaviour complaints.

The Safer Neighbourhoods Policy also includes a pledge to take tough action against irresponsible and absent private landlords and antisocial tenants through licensing.

And it calls for a repurposing of community payback so that offenders are put to work cleaning up town streets and green spaces.

Hartlepool Labour leader, Councillor Brenda Harrison, said: "Residents have suffered for too long and it is time for new leadership and new policies to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour in Hartlepool.

“These policies will make a real difference to the lives of decent Hartlepool residents; if elected in May a Labour council will take the toughest possible action to make our neighbourhoods safe.”

Jonathan Brash, a Labour candidate for the Burn Valley ward, added: “We are putting the irresponsible minority on notice, we stand with the majority and will do everything in our power, if we are elected in May, to stamp out crime and antisocial behaviour by targeting the bad landlords, the antisocial tenants, the thoughtless few who think it’s okay to ruin the lives of others.”

The local council and crime commissioner elections are due to take place in May after being postponed last year due to Covid.

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