A TEENAGE girl whose Burnley father is accused of her abduction has been found dead in a park in Northern Ireland.

Chief Inspector Jeff Brown, the borough's police commander, believes the threat posed by thieves from the likes of Burnley, Leeds, Bradford and Skipton demands a more co-ordinated approach to briefing his officers on a daily basis.

Currently Pendle police officers are briefed and deployed from either Nelson or Colne police stations, depending on their position.

But under the chief inspector's proposals, officers will all start their shifts at Nelson station.

Several thousand pounds is set to be spent revamping the Broadway building.

Separate inspectors will also deal with frontline response and neighbourhood policing, replacing the two posts presently assigned to Nelson and Brierfield and Colne and West Craven.

Councillors in Colne are concerned that this could lead to a diminished service for their town, which has seen crime drop dramatically over the past few years and partnerships forged with the outgoing inspector, Jon Fryer.

Mr Brown said that Pendle's operation was 'out of kilter' with the rest of Lancashire police and he needed to adapt the way his officers were briefed.

“We have more incursions from West Yorkshire, and Nelson and Burnley criminals, in the borough,” he said.

“It is my responsibility how we deal with these problems at a borough level.

"We need to ensure that officers are briefed from one central location.”

Coun Graham Roach, vice-chairman of the Colne committee, said: “This is the first we have heard of this.

"You should have come to us before now to discuss these proposals.

"Why is thousands being spent on Nelson police station?”

Coun Tony Greaves added: “It seems a bit odd that we have a modern facility in Colne, and a ramshackle Sixties police station in Nelson, which is going to be used for this.

“My cynical view is that they will all operate from Nelson. and Colne and West Craven will become outreach posts.”

Mr Brown insisted that response and neighbourhood officers would still be based at the town’s Craddock Road station, following their briefings.