Consultation on police station front desk cuts paused after one day
West Mercia Police has "temporarily withdrawn" a public consultation on the force's front counter services a day after launching it.
A statement from the force published at 6.14pm on Tuesday said the move was made "following feedback from stakeholders."
"We have temporarily withdrawn the survey to make some revisions and factor in some additional considerations. We will update you as to when it will be republished," the statement said.
On Monday the force said that following a review over a four-month period, West Mercia Police is proposing to change the opening hours of six of its front counters: at Monkmoor Police Station, Shrewsbury; Malinsgate Police Station, Telford; Hereford Police Station; Kidderminster Police Station; Redditch Police Station and Worcester Police Station.
Currently, they are open between 8am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday, and 10am-4pm on weekends and bank holidays.
But under the proposals, the front counters in Telford and Shrewsbury would close on Sundays, Mondays and bank holidays.
They would also only be open from 9am to 5pm from Tuesday to Saturday.
Rachel Jones, Assistant Chief Constable said: “It really important to us that we hear directly from our communities on proposed service changes, so we are able to make informed decisions.
“As part of the consultation process, we are also listening to the views of stakeholders and partners including the Police and Crime Commissioner, and are taking their views and concerns into consideration."
She adds: “We know the ways in which our communities contact and engage with us has changed, with more people using the phone or digital channels and reductions in people physically coming to police buildings.
“We need to ensure we adapt to public need accordingly and are therefore looking at a number of proposals and mechanisms to ensure we meet the differing needs of our diverse communities.
“I want to reassure people, that the current proposal would see the force retain all six of its front counters with only a slight reduction in opening hours.
"It does not propose to change the services provided by front counter staff, or police officer numbers within the community.”
