Community constables will not disappear from the streets of Keighley.

That is the pledge from Keighley's police chief Supt Steve Priestley in a personal statement to the Keighley News this week.

The statement came in the wake of a public outcry over reports that proposals were in hand to scrap Keighley's community beat bobbies.

On Monday night over 50 community leaders, business people and politicians attended the Airedale Police Forum to discuss the issues. During the meeting the Keighley News was criticised by Supt Priestley and Bradford council's forum representative Cllr Ralph Berry for our report on the subject in last week's newspaper.

In his statement Supt Priestley says: "I want to make a clear statement to the people of Keighley to reassure them and clear up the obvious uncertainty which followed last week's front page about the future of community constables.

"I gave a statement before the publication which I repeated at the forum. It said: 'The community constable posts in Keighley are not being lost. They will be doing the same job they are doing today.'

"The existing community constables work in some of the most challenging areas of the division and my intention is to build on their work by giving them extra support.

"This will mean bringing a pro-active style to community policing. This approach which we adopted last year in tackling serious incidents has resulted in crime being substantially reduced between April and November 1997 compared with the same period in 1996 (See the figures above).

"A Community Action Team of six officers led by a Sergeant and supplemented by Special Constables will be formed to support the work of the community constables who will be able to call on their services. It will give us a pro-active capability to take quick, positive and decisive action against vandals and those people who engage in anti-social behaviour and make life a misery for everybody. I am confident that by introducing a pro-active dimension to community policing we will see and secure sustainable reductions in crime, the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour."

Eddie Mortimer, the owner of Bracken Bank Stores in Opal Street, had collected over 200 names on a petition.

He says: "The criticism of the Keighley News is unfair. It has done a good job. I know Supt Priestley said it was bad reporting but there is no smoke without fire."

He adds that it is pleasing to know community constables will still be on the streets.

Zafar Ali, Keighley's racial equality officer, says: "I am relieved to hear that they are going to stay. They are responsible for a big reduction in crime."

Keighley Town Centre Mana-gement Group chairman Cllr Barry Thorne also welcomes the news. "I am pleased that the uncertainty has been allayed."

Keighley News editor Malcolm Hoddy says: "I am tempted to say 'Don't shoot the messenger'. A considerable number of people contacted this office to raise their genuine concerns. Hundreds of people were worried and I stand by our story. I am delighted with the outcome and it is now time to move forward."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.