On Monday 9 November, Sarah Dines raised on the floor of the House of Commons, the need for more Police Officers in Derbyshire Dales and the possibility of reopening the Bakewell Police Station. During Home Secretary Questions, Sarah Dines MP asked The Rt. Hon Priti Patel MP to confirm that Police officer numbers will be increased in rural areas, but also to look at increasing the number of police stations in rural areas and the possibility of reopening Bakewell Police station.
Sarah Dines MP said, ‘I am passionate about tackling all types of crime in Derbyshire Dales and I am delighted that the government are taking this challenge seriously. We have seen more Police Officers employed across Derbyshire, which is just fantastic news, but I would like to see these numbers increasing.’
‘Sadly, I hear increasingly from constituents in rural areas that they are concerned about becoming the victims of crime. I took the opportunity to raise the possibility of opening more Police Stations in rural areas, in particular, the reopening on the Police Station in Bakewell to the Home Secretary. In the coming weeks I will be asking constituents to let me know what they think about this. I have written to the Police and Crime Commissioner and also the Police Chief Constable to ask them to consider this move and I hope that the possibility is thoroughly investigated.’
Bakewell District Councillor, Alasdair Sutton said, ‘Local Councillors, Alyson Hill, Mark Wakeman, Judith Twigg and myself whole heartedly support Sarah in looking into the possibility of reopening Bakewell Police Station. Policing rural areas isn’t easy and having a station in Bakewell will be a great benefit to those that live in Bakewell, but also the surrounding villages in the north of the constituency. As a local Councillor I hear from residents that they are concerned about crime in Bakewell and increasingly farmers approach me fearful of becoming targets of rural crime. The reopening of Bakewell Police Station would be a common-sense step forward in reducing rural crime in our area.’
