Bid to allay Rox security fears

The cop shop on wheels is being considered by Inspector John Merrick as a way of providing policing cover to the music and arts event.

Hopes are high that Rox will return to its traditional promenade home after six years away to form the first weekend on July 21 and 22 of this year's Bognor music festival.

But health and safety concerns to ensure the large crowd which could attend the free occasion still mean the final details have yet to be worked out.

Inspector Merrick, talking to Bognor Regis Civic Society last week, said the police were actively involved in the discussions about enabling music lovers to enjoy Rox in safety.

The talks included the possibility of bringing policing to the people there.

'For Rox, having a mobile police station on the front could be answer,' he said. 'People could go there as a point of contact.'

He was responding to concerns from Aldwick resident Paul Bignall about Bognor's police station in London Road being closed during major crowd-pulling events on Sundays.

'When Rox comes back on the promenade, you could have 30,000 to 40,000 people in the town,' stated Mr Bignall.

He particularly wanted to see access to police officers being available on Birdman weekends.

'I find it very difficult to understand that when there's an international event in Bognor, and thousands of extra people are in the town, the police station is closed. There could be incidents going on all over the place but it is just not possible to get in touch with the police station except by going through the call centre in Lewes.'

Inspector Merrick said police station opening hours were set across Sussex. But officers based in the building were always on duty even if the front door was closed.

They could be contacted by phone at any time. An event like Birdman would see additional police officers patrolling around the town.

A routine policing day in Bognor would see 32-40 officers on duty.

The minimum staffing level at any time was five officers at 7am and four at night.

Traditional shift patterns could be changing because of the changed licensing hours, he revealed. The 3am finish on Friday and Saturday mornings for some officers had become outdated since November 2005 when premises could begin to open longer .This had seen the two seafront clubs in Bognor, in particular, stay open until 4am.

The need for a large police presence to maintain safety when the clubbers gathered on the promenade at the end of their nights out had seen officers volunteer for unpaid overtime after their shift ended.

But the gesture could not be relied upon to continue indefinitely. Changes in shift patterns to take account of the later opening looked the answer to overcome the situation, he stated.

Insp Merrick last year set up a task force to tackle the level of violent crime along Bognor seafront which is the town's prime spot for people being attacked.

He said the operators of the two clubs worked closely with the police to promote public safety.