David Montgomery (Photo)
At lest the NEWS POST Leader informs us of whats happening in Northumberland , all you want to do at County Hall is hide it away ?
Police say press story was 'factually correct'
COUNTY councillors, angry over a story about school violence in the News Post Leader, were told by a police officer at a meeting last week that, factually, the story was correct.
Members of a scrutiny committee were critical of an article concerning the number of police calls to schools in the area.But Sergeant Steve Cochrane, who was at the meeting, told the councillors: "Factually it (the article] is correct."There were five incidents related to these schools surrounding weapons."But there is a need for a mutual understanding of what 'weapons' are."I think that is why it could be seen to be misleading."The newspaper's Freedom of Information request had asked the police to provide information on the number of violent incidents, which included violence, fighting and offensive behaviour, firearms, sexual offences, robbery and kidnapping.The police said, in reply, that 85 incidents occurred, of which five involved weapons, between October 1, 2005 and September 30, 2006.They also provided a list of the 40 schools where the incidents took place.Coun David Montgomery claimed the newspaper regularly attacked the council and said: "We deal with this on a weekly basis from the News Post Leader and we should robustly challenge them."We should be putting a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission about this."Trevor Doughty, the director of children's services, added: "The council would see a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission very much as a last resort – we do not have enough evidence and we cannot go to the PCC every time we feel we have been wronged."Portfolio holder for health and welfare, Coun Tony Reid, said the council took anti-social behaviour in schools seriously."It is one of the council's priorities and we are doing all we possibly can to address it and we are pulling out all the stops."The article shows that we get the headlines."We don't have any major problems in Northumberland, but this is how schools generate problems."I don't believe that Northumberland is worse than any other authority and we have a first class record."Councillors also complained that News Post Leader editor Ross Weeks backed up the reporter's story and declined to publish an apology.
02 February 2007
COUNTY councillors, angry over a story about school violence in the News Post Leader, were told by a police officer at a meeting last week that, factually, the story was correct.
Members of a scrutiny committee were critical of an article concerning the number of police calls to schools in the area.But Sergeant Steve Cochrane, who was at the meeting, told the councillors: "Factually it (the article] is correct."There were five incidents related to these schools surrounding weapons."But there is a need for a mutual understanding of what 'weapons' are."I think that is why it could be seen to be misleading."The newspaper's Freedom of Information request had asked the police to provide information on the number of violent incidents, which included violence, fighting and offensive behaviour, firearms, sexual offences, robbery and kidnapping.The police said, in reply, that 85 incidents occurred, of which five involved weapons, between October 1, 2005 and September 30, 2006.They also provided a list of the 40 schools where the incidents took place.Coun David Montgomery claimed the newspaper regularly attacked the council and said: "We deal with this on a weekly basis from the News Post Leader and we should robustly challenge them."We should be putting a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission about this."Trevor Doughty, the director of children's services, added: "The council would see a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission very much as a last resort – we do not have enough evidence and we cannot go to the PCC every time we feel we have been wronged."Portfolio holder for health and welfare, Coun Tony Reid, said the council took anti-social behaviour in schools seriously."It is one of the council's priorities and we are doing all we possibly can to address it and we are pulling out all the stops."The article shows that we get the headlines."We don't have any major problems in Northumberland, but this is how schools generate problems."I don't believe that Northumberland is worse than any other authority and we have a first class record."Councillors also complained that News Post Leader editor Ross Weeks backed up the reporter's story and declined to publish an apology.
02 February 2007
