Eleanor Burnham Corners Rhodri on Police Compensation

2.31.00pm GMT Wed 15th Nov 2006

Eleanor Burnham AM today cornered First Minister Rhodri Morgan on the government's commitment to the introduction of more community support officers in Wrexham, since Home Secretary John Reid contradicted his own policy by criticising the scheme.

Ms Burnham, Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for North Wales, challenged Mr Morgan over the confusion over policy seen in the Labour party on the decision to implement a community support officer scheme to cover the whole of the North East region, instead of having select community wardens in favourite Labour areas.

Ms Burnham tackled Mr Morgan on the apparently different policies between Westminster and Cardiff, since Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom praised Wrexham council's community support officer strategy, while the Home Secretary slammed the scheme.

Ms Burnham said: "I find it thoroughly bizarre that while the Chief Constable of one of the best performing police forces in the UK states that community support officers are having a real impact on anti-social behaviour in North East Wales, the Labour party in Westminster disagree.

"Even more baffling is the point that Mr Morgan and the Labour Party in the Assembly have agreed to go along with the scheme.

"You have to wonder in this situation, has the First Minister simply been better briefed than his colleague in London?

"I am confident that the success of the community support officers in Wrexham and throughout the North East will continue. Their impact has been markedly greater than Labour's old warden scheme, which was geared to benefit Labour's favourite wards."

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