PERU – Oxford County Deputy Sgt. Tim Holland spoke at the selectmen’s meeting Monday about speeding vehicles in town.

The board acknowledged there has been a notable increase in patrols in town and thanked Holland for his department’s efforts at curbing what many residents consider a major problem. For his part, Holland explained that the Oxford County sheriff’s office’s deputies are always eager to go where they are needed, but limited manpower can make covering an area the size of Oxford County difficult.

“Can I promise that this level of patrolling will continue? Probably not,” he said.

Holland told the board that, unlike years past, each arrest now requires hours of paperwork, which keeps the office’s nine patrolling deputies at their desks rather than on the street.

“We don’t have enough people. Period,” he said. “We do the best we can with what we’ve got.”

Holland noted that, in months when Peru’s police coverage falls to the sheriff’s office, an average of more than 50 speeding tickets are handed out in town.

He also mentioned that the office has received speeding complaints only twice from Peru residents since August.