A POLICE meeting with a difference is due to take place.

Borough council chief executive Brenda Harvey will join the town’s top cops on the panel at Ellesmere Port Police Forum.

The event, to be held at the Civic Hall on Monday, July 21, will start at 6pm with a Police Surgery and then the traditional forum begins at 7pm.

Mrs Harvey said: “Many concerns about crime and disorder are solved not by the police working in isolation, but with involvement from other service providers such as the local authority, fire and rescue service or primary care trust.

“The partnership in Ellesmere Port and Neston works hard to solve local issues but we need to face the people we serve and find out what works and what doesn’t.”

Forum chairman Michael Darby said: “With involvement from the public, Cheshire Police Authority (which organises the forum) has also reviewed the way people can influence local policing at public meetings and has made some changes. People told us that they value these meetings as a way of finding out about policing issues , how services are delivered and questioning senior officers.

“But people also come along to report a crime, discuss local issues or check on the progress of a case. So, in Ellesmere Port, we trial a surgery before the main meeting where you can discuss any policing issues directly with the Inspector responsible for policing your neighbourhood.”