Tenby's police chief has responded to calls for street trading in the town to be stopped by stating that from a crime and disorder point of view the traders did not cause his constabulary a major problem. Inspector Les Clark's comments came in a letter addressed to Tenby Town Council, which came before their meeting on Tuesday evening. His response comes after a large number of the resort's business people signed a petition calling for Pembrokeshire County Council to put a stop to street traders who continuously set up stalls on the streets of the town during holiday seasons. Local councillors also added their support to the campaign, with Clr. Mrs. Sue Lane stating at a recent meeting: "We do not want street traders or pedlars operating in the town." However, in Insp. Clark's letter to the council, he said: "I accept that a petition has been raised by local shopkeepers opposed to street trading, but I have to report that from a crime and disorder standpoint, hair braiders, performing clowns, pan pipers or ice cream sellers, do not cause me a problem. "In fact, during the whole of last year, I can only recall two complaints about street sellers that were not motivated by commercial considerations. "One was about the noise from the Pan Pipers group and the other from a local man who thought all hair braiders were drug users and should be searched immediately." Insp. Clark also pointed to the fact that during the pedestrianisation scheme, brought in over the summer, it would be very difficult to justify prosecuting a street trader causing obstruction when many of the pubs and cafes throughout the town put out tables and chairs on the streets and pavements. He also pointed to one of the major problem areas where street traders target, the Five Arches, and although Insp. Clark stated that he would ask his officers to try and keep the area clear to allow free passage of pedestrians, he also suggested that the town council could look into using temporary signage requesting itinerant sellers/braiders not to use the area. "I understand there may be limited licensing of street trading this year and I support this, as it is surely better to regulate the inevitable rather than pretend we can stop it forever," continued Insp. Clark. "Even with limited licensing though, I will still be in a position of having no control over individuals who carry out activities that do not need to be licensed such as hair braiding, clowning or genuine peddling," he concluded. When discussing Insp. Clark's letter, Clr. Mrs. Caroline Thomas, said: "It was good to see police officers out over the Bank Holiday weekend making the gateways to the Five Arches clear."
