HAVING watched the campaign develop to retain the courts at Bolton, l felt obliged to air some of the factors which hither to have been overlooked.
The court closure should not be looked at in isolation, it is merely one of several ongoing changes, each interlinked.
First and most important is that relating to the changed policing policy within the town centre, which will lead to the closure of the Central Police Station. We are advised that a new Divisional Headquarters is to be built at Burnden Park. Whether this will also be an operational policing centre with it's custody suite, cells, interview rooms, I do not know. As these facilities already exist to the north and south of the town, along with the existence of the central detention centre at Crown Square, Manchester, it would be possible to dispense with these facilities centrally.
The Courts at Bolton have been manned by use of police staffing, virtually throughout their entire life. Only in the recent past has reliance been placed on civilian staffing, in an effort to conserve police manpower. In consequence, unless one resorts to the use of private security services, it will be impossible to run a court at Bolton.
As far as the custody suite, interview rooms, medical examination rooms and all the rest, it is doubtful if it can be run at all without deep police involvement, which rather defeats the object of relocating to Burnden.
It is all a great pity, because if the court building were to be combined and developed with the space vacated when the police station is relocated, the ensuing facility could be absolutely superb. But it all comes down to money, or rather whose particular budget finances the manpower implications.
Make no mistake, the ultimate recipient of the bill, whichever way it is argued, will be you and I. And we may be paying for an inferior system.
It is pleasing to see a good representative cross section of supporters for your campaign for retention of the courts. It is equally pleasing to see that some have more than a passing knowledge at both local and administrative county level. Perhaps they will be in a position to bring into the public arena matters which have hitherto remained concealed in the long grass, as the two so closely interwoven changes have been debated and decided without any recognition of their mutuality.
Perhaps it's time for a bit of that "open government" we hear so much about.
(Name and address supplied)
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