POLICE have refused to say whether they have needed to move the Walton Street barriers in any emergency because they said the person asking was using a fake name.
Oxfordshire County Council closed off Walton Street last year to carry out roadworks, but decided to leave the temporary barriers in place to limit traffic through Jericho.
The controversial move has divided the community, with some thinking the idea has improved air quality and others worried that traffic has just shifted to other roads.
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One resident submitted a Freedom of Information request to Thames Valley Police asking how many times officers have attended the street since the closure, how many times they have had to remove the barriers and the change, if any, in the average length of time if takes to respond to incidents.
The person, who used the name Dolce Far-Niente, also asked if any officers had reported ‘concerns’ or ‘frustration’ in carrying out duties because of the barriers.
But responding to the questions, one public access officer refused the request, asking for ‘proof’ that their name is legitimate, saying: “[We have] reason to believe the name provided may not be genuine.”
'Dolce Far-Niente' roughly translates from Italian as 'pleasant idleness'.
Thames Valley Police has also refused several requests during the coronavirus pandemic, asking members of the public to re-submit the requests after the crisis at a less busier time.
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