Either use the CAM or lose it

3:23pm Sunday 11th May 2008

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MIDDLEWICH Town Council is appealing to members of the public to attend the police community action meetings (CAMs) before they are axed.

Councillors said at the latest town council meeting that Middlewich police are close to scrapping the meetings unless attendance improved.

Clr Paul Edwards said: "At the moment they are hanging on by a thread because of the lack of people attending them.

"They are attended by councillors and very few members of the public and we need to encourage more people to go or we will lose them."

The meetings are held every three months at the Wych Centre and are an opportunity for members of the public to have a say on policing in the town.

People can vote on their top priority, which they would like police to focus on for the next 12 weeks as well as meet their officers and raise any concerns they have about the community.

Clr Simon McGrory added: "I think the CAMs are great and I know that the police are very keen to get to the public and are frustrated that they won't come forward.

"It's a good place for the community to take action on what's really bugging them, but also to meet the police officers and PCSOs, which are walking the beat."

The council decided that poor advertising was the reason for the lack of support.

Clr Peter Hirst said: "I do think there's interest but people just don't know about them."

Around ten people attended the latest meeting on Saturday, April 12 where people voted for police to tackle drugs in the town as their top priority for the next three months.

What do you think of the CAMs? Let us know on our website middlewichguardian.co.uk.