"Disbanded" forum set for a fresh start (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

"Disbanded" forum set for a fresh start

12:48pm Monday 14th March 2005 in News By Tess McDermott

POLICE have explained their recent lack of support for the Waltham Abbey Town Forum they thought they had disbanded it.

The forum was set up in May 2001 by police, the public and town and district councillors to liaise over crime and safety issues, but at the last three meetings no police representatives appeared and committee members were left wondering why.

Chairman Godfrey Baillon-Bending sent a number of letters to senior police officers asking what had happened, but received little or no response.

Then, on the eve of a vote by members to decide if it was worth continuing the forum without a police presence, Mr Baillon-Bending met Epping-based acting inspector Sean O'Callaghan.

Mr Baillon-Bending said: "It was amazing. He kept apologising. He explained the decision had been taken several months ago that the forums were to be disbanded but we weren't ever told about it. He was most apologetic about the lack of communication. All the other forums seem to have been told, but not us.

"And then he said he wanted us to keep running because he was relaunching the forums again. He was so positive about the role we play. After months of wondering why they were boycotting us, it was wonderful to find out they weren't."

Mr O'Callaghan said: "Over the past few months officers have changed on the Waltham Abbey community policing team and it unfortunately appears that the fact that the forum still existed was not passed on to the incoming beat officers.

"The police station was contacted stating that the Waltham Abbey Forum was meeting and could an officer attend, so it was explained that we did not routinely attend local meetings. I made contact with Mr Baillon-Bending to explain this and quickly established the confusion.

"At an extremely positive meeting it was agreed the current members of the forum would remain and that I would attend the meetings personally as the local section inspector, as is planned for meetings in Ongar."

The forum will now be called the Waltham Abbey Police Forum and will continue to work to resolve concerns over policing and security in the town.

Although meetings will be closed to the public, their views will be relayed to police through representatives on the committee from local businesses, voluntary organisations and the town and district councils.