New PCC vows to fight for town custody suite

NEWLY-ELECTED Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Notts Paddy Tipping has said the fight to re-open Worksop’s custody suite is one of his ‘key priorities’.

Mr Tipping, who won last Friday’s election, took 43 per cent of the Bassetlaw vote - beating his three opponents Raj Chandran, Malcolm Spencer, and Tony Roberts.

The former Labour MP for Sherwood said he was delighted with his win and vowed to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in Bassetlaw head on.

“I am really pleased to have received the majority of the votes across the county and I am determined to make sure the needs of both urban and rural areas in Bassetlaw are met,” he said.

Mr Tipping said he has held true to his promise to voters that he would fight to re-open the custody suite at Worksop Police Station.

“When someone is arrested in Worksop they have to be taken to Mansfield which means we have officers out of the town for a considerable amount of time and leaves the town short of police,” he said.

“It’s a cost-saving measure but in the long term I am not convinced it is the most effective measure for people in the Worksop area.”

He added: “I had my first formal meeting with the Chief Constable on Monday - the custody suite is on the agenda and we are talking about how we can do it.”

“I will also be having formal discussions with key stakeholders to take the matter further.”

Mr Tipping said he is also keen to work with Bassetlaw Council to cut anti-social behaviour by 50 per cent.

“People don’t want yobbish and loutish behaviour on their streets and this is something we must tackle,” he said.

“I am also keen to give more priority to tackling domestic violence. There have been seven domestic homicides in the county over the past 18 months annd I want to ensure that women and children are safe.”

He added: “I also made it very clear that I would recruit extra police officers and PCSOs and we are working hard on how to do that.”

Mr Tipping won 5,082 votes in Bassetlaw against the Conservative candidate Tony Roberts who gained 2,189 votes. Independent candidates Malcolm Spencer and Raj Chandran got 2,415 and 2,320 votes respectively.

The Bassetlaw turnout was 14.25 per cent and 16.77 per cent in Notts.