THE inspector for north Shropshire has reassured residents of Wem that the town does not have a arson problem following a fire at a business park.

On Wednesday, October 6, a large fire at Wem Business Park damaged or destroyed several businesses.

West Mercia Police confirmed they were investigating the blaze, which is thought to have been started deliberately.

Inspector Claire Greenaway spoke to Wem Town Council on Thursday, October 28, to provide an update on the current crime levels in the area.

In response to a question about the Wem Business Park fire, she said: "The matter is still under investigation, but we are very clear on who’s involved.

"Whether it leads to people being arrested I couldn't say, but you don’t have a fire setting problem."

Insp Greenaway said her local policing teams had been kept busy, and that had led to longer wait times in some cases.

She added: "The Wem team has been really busy as always.

"Some warrants have been done and some evictions have come about because of that.

"We’re doing a lot of traffic matters, lots of members of the public report issues of speeding.

"We’ve got some new equipment and we can get out and about and target those roads.

"We're not doing too badly, obviously Covid has changed things, but we have never been busier.

"The calls for service at the moment are really high so members of the public are having to wait longer than they would like to see an officer."

Insp Greenaway also provided an update on potential County Lines issues.

She added: "County lines is something we look at on a weekly basis – by its nature it's very fast moving.

"We have a huge network; we work with all forces that surround us so there is a local organised crime time that works hand-in-hand with us.

"I am confident we don’t have an issue here but if that changes then we will know and there is an awful lot of work around it.

"We are looking and listening all the time."