KEEP IT ALL IN THE OPEN

Tomorrow (Tuesday) there is a meeting of the Brigg Policing Neighbourhood Panel at the Angel Suite, off Market Place, at 7.30pm.
Members of the public from the Brigg area are very welcome to attend and raise matters of interest and concern with representatives of the police and North Lincolnshire Council, as the highways authority.
Brigg’s Coun Tom Glossop will be chairing the meeting.
Prior to the meeting, at 6.30pm, police will be available to speak to people in private about matters they do not feel should be voiced in public. (We are not sure whether 'They' means the police or the members of the public in question).
This so-called Police Forum is a new development, and I must say as a member of the press, it is most certainly not a step in the right direction, in my opinion.
Surely there's no point in having a public meeting if there's going to be a private session before it!
This new idea has not come from the chairman of the panel but from elsewhere within the police authority. We are not sure exactly where but will try and find out tomorrow.
Tom Glossop is a very experienced chairman, and if a member of the public got to his, or her, feet in the public forum and started revealing something delicate, or unsavoury, he would bring them to order and advise the best course of action
When things are discussed in private, behind closed doors, that can create a cloud of suspicion. People might conclude this is a means of keeping matters which put the police in a poor light away from the ears of elected representatives and the press and public.
It could well be, of course, apathy will reign supreme tomorrow - as it often does - and no-one will take advantage of the new Police Surgery at 6.30pm.
During the public meeting, Insp Brett Rutty, head of policing in the Brigg area, or someone on his behalf, will issue the quarterly crime figures for our area, which always make interesting reading.
Previous reports by Brett have revealed good news, in terms of crime trends.
So let's hope for more of the same tomorrow night.
See you there?