A NEW member of a police watchdog body has vowed to combat the fear of crime in Wrexham.

Cllr Gerry Craddock, who runs his own stocktaking business, has just become a member of the North Wales Police Authority.

He’s been appointed to represent Wrexham County Borough Council and says he’s looking forward to the experience.

According to Cllr Craddock, a Liberal Democrat, tackling the perception of crime will be right at the top of his priority list.

While statistics show crime figures are down, too many people still fear they will become victims themselves.

He paid tribute to the important role being played by Police Community Support Officers (PCSO’s).

While PCSOs are not police officers and do not have the same powers, they can detain people for up to 30 minutes.

There are 56 of them working in the Wrexham area with 14 funded by the council.

Cllr Craddock said: “Policing is something that’s important in everybody’s life, it touches the whole community.

“PCSOs are worth their weight in gold, they really are. They’ve made a fantastic difference, locally and I think throughout Wrexham.

“We’ve got more than 50 PCSOs in Wrexham and they’ve done a very good job across the borough. The reason they’ve been so effective is simple - they’re out and walking, they’re very visible.

“They have been accepted by residents and people really do appreciate their presence. They provide a lot of reassurance.

“At the same time, crime figures are on a downwards trend but there’s still a great deal of work to be done in relation to public confidence.”