A former police officer who served for Durham Constabulary for thirty years has described his anger at plans that could see one of the largest towns in the county left without a police response force.

Richard Day, from Newton Aycliffe, served in Durham Constabulary as a PC until he retired in 2021. Five of those years were spent at Newton Aycliffe Community Fire Station from 2016-2021, where the force has been located since the original police building was demolished in 2013.

The force in Newton Aycliffe is now under threat, as the ten-year lease on the space the officers occupy at the fire station will come to an end in December of this year. From then, police responders could have no base unless Durham’s PCC works with the force to find them their own building.

Read more: Newton Aycliffe residents plea to save local policing at meeting

The second public meeting to discuss this issue was held on July 26, with the mood of the meeting, held at the Great Aycliffe Town Council offices being one of frustration as emboldened residents made their voices heard.

Following the fiery meeting, Richard spoke to the Echo about his thoughts on the plans for Newton Aycliffe’s Police and what he would like to see as a solution.

The Northern Echo: Richard Day.Richard Day. (Image: RICHARD DAY)

Richard told the Echo: “As both a member of the public and a former police officer I’m disgusted. I am not surprised it has come to this.

“They say there is a crisis in the NHS, but I would go as far to say there is a crisis in policing as well which isn’t really seen. The officers know, but they cannot say.”

In his role, Richard covered jobs from across the country including in Darlington and Spennymoor under strained circumstances, stating the service given is “not as good” as it was several years ago.

“The police are chasing the targets but often they are missing the point. They tick the boxes to make sure everything is logged and ticked but you end up feeling like a road sweeper, going along and sweeping up the litter instead of making sure it’s not dropped in the first place.

“That is what they are missing. People are in fear because of anti-social behaviour, and they expect something to be done about it. But the way we police at the moment there is no way we can do that.”

For Richard, this is a real concern, saying there is a real need to have local officers that are housed in the town and know the area well.

He said: “The powers that be say that we can get officers from places like Bishop Auckland to come over, but those officers do not know what goes on here.

“They don’t know the geography of the town or the criminals and crime that takes place in Newton Aycliffe.

Despite these difficulties, Richard emphasised that the officers of Durham Constabulary are doing their utmost to be the best they can be.

“The police want to do their best, and Newton Aycliffe is not a bad town. But the quality of service we are giving people is very poor.

“Over the years, you are moulded into a police officer by the establishment to serve your community. I still believe honestly that the officers in Durham Constabulary are the best, and they want to give the best service they can.”

Richard was just one of many members of the public who attended the public meeting at Great Aycliffe Town Council on July 26 and had his say. For him, the end goal is to see Newton Aycliffe have a fully-fledged police station once again.

“What I want to see is a police station in Newton Aycliffe. A proper, dedicated police station that is not an office stuck in another building.

“That is not good enough – there needs to be a presence that people can see and a space that people can walk into and report crimes.”

At the meeting, councillors and the public were given the opportunity to ask questions of Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Joy Allen, Deputy Chief Constable Ciaron Irvine, Chief Finance Officer Gary Ridley and Steve Helps, Chief Fire Officer of County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service.

The Northern Echo: Residents came out in force to ask a panel including PCC Joy Allen about the plans.Residents came out in force to ask a panel including PCC Joy Allen about the plans. (Image: KAYLEIGH FRASER)

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For PCC Allen, the housing of officers at the fire station was “not the ideal situation but a compromise” as she assured anxious attendees that the meeting that the force was working hard to find a new home for Newton Aycliffe Police.

She said: “We want premises in the centre of Newton Aycliffe, not outside, and that is easier said than done. We have been looking significantly around the area, but none have been identified as being suitable to house the police.

“It was a compromise, but it kept our neighbourhood teams at Central Avenue for as long as we possibly could with Steve’s support until we find an alternative piece of land or accommodation.”