‘Tarzan’ stunt was just spin

Aug 14 2008 by Our Correspondent, North Wales Weekly News

NORTH Wales Police claim chief constable Richard Brunstrom did not ape Tarzan after all.

Last December the Weekly News told how the top cop had scaled scaffolding to get into his office to test security while the police headquarters in Colwyn Bay under-went renovation.

However following information obtained from a freedom of information request, a national Sunday newspaper last week claimed Mr Brunstrom’s electronic keyfob was not working and that was the reason for the break-in.

North Wales Police were accused of using the incident to create a publicity spin.

Now it has emerged that all Mr Brunstrom did was walk up some steps and a temporary walkway to get into the building and had not tackled scaffolding to conduct the break-in.

“We can confirm that the chief constable did use metal steps and a walkway, which form part of the scaffolding, to access the building via an insecure window,” said North Wales Police.

“We confirmed at the time that the chief constable tested the security. The glamour aspect was applied in the newspaper coverage.”

Clwyd West MP David Jones, who met authority chairman Mr Roberts to discuss the “break-in” said the police would have been wise to have told the truth from the outset.