Eight former police stations in Staffordshire are to be sold

Eight bases, including Wombourne, Kinver, Eccleshall and Stone, will go.

Of the eight, only Wombourne is currently used by officers, who will be moved into the village's Civic Centre, a quarter of a mile away. None is open to the public.

Staffordshire Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis said the buildings were 'surplus to requirement' and that their sale would allow chiefs to focus more on having officers out in communities.

He said: "Over the last decade the challenges faced by the police everywhere have evolved. The technology available to Staffordshire Police has improved very substantially in the last few years to meet the challenges faced.

"While police buildings are still needed, most people want to see more officers out and about in communities and policing now has the right tools to help that happen.

Budgets

"There’s no question that budgets are tight and the growing complexity of the job policing does needs ever-more investment to keep up. The properties I am selling were built in a different era and are surplus to requirement for policing today.

"It is vital that more of the money available is spent on people to deliver our police service and also on ensuring they have the right tools for the difficult job they do.

Former police stations will also be sold in Stoke, Tunstall, Newcastle and Blythe Bridge.

Staffordshire Police said it had increased the number of officers working in communities and would be investing more in neighbourhood policing, patrolling communities and having a visible presence across the county.

The force also said there would be greater use of shared public sector buildings, more drop-in surgeries in local centres, street briefings and community groups. Chiefs said it will allow more access to officers on the ground and that more buildings would be shared between the police and fire service.