New police hub for Cheltenham Festival
A TEMPORARY police headquarters is being set up in Cheltenham town centre to deal with the crowds flocking to this week's racing festival.
The base will be at Royal Well and is just one of a number of extra measures being taken by the emergency services.
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Police hub
More than 200,000 people expected to visit Cheltenham between Tuesday and Friday.
Ambulance crews will have their mobile medical centre in the town to treat anyone injured during the event and Christian street pastors will be on the look out for people in need of help.
Gloucestershire police has linked up with Cheltenham Borough Council to create the Royal Well hub.
PC Mark Love said: "This could be a useful facility, giving us somewhere to use as a base in the centre of town without needing to travel back to our station in Lansdown Road.
"It will also give us a useful place for liaison with our partners. It will be interesting to see how it works."
The council's community ranger team is making a number of improvements to the area, including opening up the former National Express ticket office for police to work from.
An upgraded footpath at the bus station, with zebra crossings at either end, has been added to make it a safer and a more inviting place for people to use.
Councillor John Morris, the council's cabinet member for built environment, said: "[This] is a true sign of partnership working, which benefits the whole town and our visitors. We hope after the trial period, we can see a permanent base at this site."
A mobile medical centre, dubbed a "booze tent", will cater for people spilling out of pubs and nightclubs as it did when it was used in the Promenade earlier this month.
It will be manned, in the same location, by qualified ambulance staff on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Anyone needing first aid will be treated in the tent or be held there until an ambulance arrives if they are in a serious condition.
The street pastors will be on patrol on Thursday and Friday, between 7pm and midnight.
They will even offer free flip-flops for the walk home to women with sore feet from wearing high heels.
8 Comments
by Andy Harris, Cheltenham
Monday, March 15 2010, 5:58PM
“What a fantastic new idea. Who would have thought of such a great location. Move it a few yards round the corner to John Dower House and we could call it The Old Cheltenham Police Station. I wonder which hign ranking genius decided to close it down in the first place?”
by In the know, Chelt
Monday, March 15 2010, 12:48AM
“Sorry everyone but the new 'hub' is actually the old stagecoach ticket office, next door to the bus station waiting room, and will be used to take statements and crime reports when needed etc... And as it's not used at all it won't be costing anyone anything so you can be safe in the knowledge that your tax pennies are being spent elsewhere.”
by anon taxpayer, winchcombe
Sunday, March 14 2010, 8:22AM
“can we have a bobby in winchcombe ?we never have one the rest of the year we could do with a proper traffic warden too .............”
by Ricky, Gloucester
Saturday, March 13 2010, 8:36PM
“'O.A.P.' is correct. This (HOHO) 'hub' is in fact the old Police Station. I should know, I was stationed there between 1964 and 1971.
The race meeting was, if anything, even more well attended than it is now. Yes, the cells are still there, and very good 'old-fashioned' cells they are too.
Drunks were thrown in there to sober up before being charged. Now it appears, we supply tents and all manner of facilities to 'help' the poor drunken louts.
Times have changed...and if anyone thinks this is an improvement, then think again. It's crass idiocy.”
by Me, Cheltenham
Saturday, March 13 2010, 3:34PM
“postiejim, cheltenham - Unfortunately, this will be covered by your rates :(”
by postiejim, cheltenham
Saturday, March 13 2010, 1:36PM
“hope the races are paying for all this and not us cheltenham council tax payers”
by OAP, Cheltenham
Saturday, March 13 2010, 1:16PM
“If my memory serves me right that is where the "Old Cheltenham Police Station" used to be. In fact it is still there owned and used by someone else. It evens still has the old cells underneath. Nowt new about this hub then”
by Inspector Gadget, Cheltenham
Saturday, March 13 2010, 11:52AM
“Why, what's going on next week?”