Ex-boxer, 75, 'tackled shop raider'

By Stephen Ivall

A 75-year-old ex-boxer from Falmouth told Truro Crown Court this week how he tackled a raider holding what he thought was a gun. But it did not deter him from having a go.

Retired fisherman George Vinnicombe was buying a pint of milk and a newspaper at the Penwerris sub-post office near his home in Falmouth on a busy Saturday morning.

He heard a woman scream: "There's a hold up."

"I saw the man had what appeared to be a gun in a plastic bag pointing under the grill, and heard him tell the assistant to 'put the f...... money in the bag or someone will get f...... hurt.'

"I went up behind the man and grabbed hold of him. There were several women in the store but I was the only man. He turned and hit me on the head and shoulder with what turned out to be a hammer. I punched him in the face so hard that I barked my knuckles. If I had been 40 years younger I would have sorted him out."

Town agrees to private hospital 'if necessary'

FALMOUTH'S proposed community hospital provoked a shouting match at a town council meeting this week when councillors eventually resolved to accept a private health care company running the facility if necessary.

Only last month Falmouth's finance and general purposes committee recommended the health authority be told the town council does not want a private company running the hospital, but that all changed this week.

The recommendation came before the full council on Monday evening, but instead of being ratified it was amended after a lengthy argument between councillors in opposing political parties.

Conservative John Rose proposed the recommendation be amended to read that the town council would expect a national health community hospital to be provided as part of the future health service provisions in Falmouth.

He went on to say: "This facility should be provided at all possible speed using whatever sources are available to the district health authority."

This caused uproar in the council chamber with Labour and Liberal Democrat members claiming the amendment completely changed the original recommendation and so should not be allowed.

Police shake-up means PC loses home beat

A SPECIAL police constable living in Ponsanooth cannot patrol her home village as a community officer because of the re-organisation of police divisions and boundaries.

Instead Mrs Amanda Reed, who is attached to Penryn, will patrol areas such as Mylor and Flushing.

The changes made by the police following a recent shake-up has angered villagers in Ponsanooth and in other rural areas near to Falmouth and Penryn which is in Carrick yet they fall within the Kerrier district. Mabe, Budock, Mawnan Smith, all within a stones throw of Falmouth, now come outside the Penryn police district.

If Mrs Reed were to patrol Ponsanooth it would mean her joining the Helston specials and travelling to Helston and back each time she went on duty just to collect her radio.

She told this week's meeting of St Gluvias parish council that she was not prepared to travel that distance and it was better she remained at Penryn, just a couple of miles away.

Until now Mrs Reed has patrolled in Ponsanooth as a community officer - a move much appreciated by the local resident who have campaigned long and hard for an increase in police presence.

Next month the two police divisions in Cornwall become three. Camborne, of which Helston is a part will police up to the Kerrier district boundary.

The move will not prevent a Penryn based police officer responding to a 999 call outside his patch but is expected to lead to other problems.

Mrs Reed told councillors that they would have to contact Helston police station in future.