Staffordshire Police Authority

Authority Chairman supports local policing effort

Following the recent outbreak of rioting and looting across cities in England , the Chair of Staffordshire Police Authority, David Pearsall, has spoken out about the issue, and in particular the work undertaken by the Force in Staffordshire to ensure that people remained safe.

Mr Pearsall said “Now that the criminality of recent days seems to have subsided, I would like to state publicly how much the Police Authority, working on behalf of the people of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent , appreciate the dedication, selflessness and hard work of the many officers, staff and volunteers, including Special Constables, of Staffordshire Police.

We can all be very proud as well as very grateful for what they did.”

“They readily and willingly gave their all, even giving up rest days and coming back off holidays. Not only were they working in Staffordshire and the City of Stoke-on-Trent being highly visible and proactive, but many were also supporting other Forces in dealing with the violence and criminal activity”.

Responding to criticisms from the Home Secretary about the comparison between the highly visible Mayor of London during the recent troubles compared to, as she put it “unaccountable, unelected and invisible police authority chairmen” , Mr Pearsall pointed out that he was actively involved with the Force during last week, attending on a daily basis the high level command meetings which oversaw the policing and reassurance operation, received regular updates from both Chief Officers and officers on the ground and kept the other members of the Police Authority fully briefed.

The Chair added “I was very impressed with the planning and the pro-active approach.

The constant monitoring of social networks was a key element of that work, enabling the Force to monitor those using it for the wrong reasons as well as to send out messages of re-assurance.

The appreciation and gratitude of the public has been immense.”

In conclusion, Mr Pearsall said “I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our partners for their unstinting support over those critical days and also for the people of Staffordshire”.