RESIDENTS on a Radcliffe council estate want community wardens to replace the bobby on the beat they claim they no longer have.

The call was made at the annual meeting of the Bolton Road Tenants and Residents Association on Friday.

Local people say they have not seen a community police officer since their last one retired.

But a police chief has denied the estate does not have police cover and stresses former community "bobby" PC Josie Keeley was replaced on her retirement two years ago.

Association secretary Muriel Waddington said: "Everyone knew Josie and even the children, who really respected her. It was great to be on first-name terms with a police officer. But when she retired she was not replaced.

"These days there are no community police patrolling our estates like they used to. There are just not enough of them for that."

Now Bury Council are looking into employing community safety wardens on council estates. Wardens have been operating in Bury town centre for six months, and they have been hailed as a success, with crime falling in the area.

Radcliffe police township's Inspector David Jones supports the warden scheme, which he says has already shown its worth in Bury.

"I would like to see it expanded to housing estates across the borough including those in Radcliffe, but not as a replacement for community or township policing in those areas. The two should be complementary."

And he added: "We are all working together, the wardens, the police and the council."

Members at the meeting also discussed such problems as noisy neighbours and children "rampaging round like they do on all estates".

But Muriel Waddington said: "At the moment the estate is doing all right and we are quite comfortable with it.

"We have a very good relationship with people on the estate and everything seems to be quite good."

The association plans to hold another meeting in six or seven months' time.

Chief Inspector David Morris of Bury police said: "It is not true to say PC Keeley was not replaced and that officers don't patrol the estrate.

"Radcliffe is patrolled by four township constables, led by Sgt Mike Hanley. They are constantly on that estate to deal with problems."

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