A TOP Uttoxeter policeman is heading to pastures new after more than 20 years tackling the town’s crime.
Sergeant Ian Cantrill has served his last shift at Uttoxeter Police Station, in Balance Street, as he now heads to nearby Burton to become a custody officer.
The well-known sergeant first came to Uttoxeter in 1989 and, apart from short spells in CID in Longton and as a uniformed sergeant at Burton, he has spent all of his service working in the town.
Sergeant Cantrill said of his time in Uttoxeter: “I have enjoyed every minute of it, I like the local people and I like the area. The teams of officers I have worked with over the years have been second to none.” When he first came to Uttoxeter Sergeant Cantrill said the town had a very low crime rate and since then the area has continued to grow, but the crime rate has fallen even further, which makes the market town one of the safest places to live in the country.
“I am proud to have made a small contribution to achieving this,” he said.
Although no particular highlights spring to mind of his time covering Uttoxeter, Sergeant Cantrill added: “I will miss working in the lovely countryside in and around Uttoxeter.” Sergeant Cantrill is the latest in a succession of top officers to leave Uttoxeter following the loss of Inspector Gary Haynes last March and Inspector Darren Harding at the end of 2009.
Last month the Advertiser reported policing in Uttoxeter is ‘crumbling’ under the weight of staff cuts and poor management with officers from Burton being forced to cover the town to compensate for a minimal or non-existent police presence.
The police whistleblower revealed between zero and three officers were holding the fort in Uttoxeter, stating previously the town had as many as four or five constables and a sergeant.
