Royal Parks Police to Get Boost

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 17th Sep 2003

Bushy Park, Hampton

At a meeting with William Weston, the head of the Royal Parks, Vincent Cable, MP, was told that the currently depleted parks police will be strengthened and reconstituted. 'Within a year' there will be active patrols permitting the re-opening of the parks overnight - currently closed because of fears of vandalism.

Vincent Cable said: "I welcome the attention now being paid to Bushy Park in particular. Until recently it was neglected and a poor relation amongst London parks. Mr Weston has made a serious financial and personal commitment to the Park. The key step is to restore a parks police presence; they have been invisible for years".

Vincent Cable was very critical of the way Crown Estates have managed the big (Upper Lodge) development in Bushy Park and the slowness in handing over land to the parks authorities: "There was enormously strong feeling in the community about this development. Crown Estates justified building houses in the park on the basis that it would demolish the old industrial buildings, clear up the land and turn it over for parkland. This hasn't happened and residents are increasingly concerned that Crown Estates has been acting in bad faith".