Police stations across Staffordshire to close to the public
Police stations across Staffordshire are to close to the public, it has been announced.
Only three stations – Cannock, Burton and Longton – will keep their front desks open, with 38 jobs facing the axe.
The stations and offices which will not be open to the public are Rugeley, Watling Street (near Cannock), Lichfield, Stafford, Stone, Leek, Hanley, Uttoxeter, Burslem, Tamworth, Kidsgrove, Newcastle and Cheadle. A number of these stations, including Lichfield, are already closed to the public.
Police officers will still be based at the stations but the public will not be able to drop in. The changes mean Stafford and South Staffordshire will be without a police station residents can visit, with the nearest being based in Cannock.
The force has said it is closing front desks across the county as the number of people using them has fallen dramatically.
But frontline staff at the stations have raised grave concerns about the changes.
A letter penned by staff to the Express & Star said: "All members of the public for any reason wishing to discuss, produce documentation or for the many reasons people turn to the police station for help will now have to travel great distances from around the whole county.
"It is stated that at the closed stations a telephone will be on the wall outside to call for help, and to deal with all matters, but this is not going to work as all lines are already over stretched there is a significant shortage of police officers who aren’t in stations to assist.
"This still wouldn’t eliminate journeys to Cannock, Longton or Burton to produce documents, sign bail etc.
"How these closures can be justified is beyond comprehension as we are busy all day dealing with varying public needs and, importantly, sign sex offenders on a daily basis who will now have to travel the county to sign."
It is understood that 35 frontline staff and three managers could be axed in the changes, which were announced to staff before Christmas. Staffordshire Police has said it is hoping to redeploy as many of the affected staff as possible to avoid redundancies.
No date has been finalised for when the front desks will close.
Staffordshire Police has claimed the closure of office counters will not affect local policing, with the public able to meet their local officers at drop-in surgeries, police posts and other locations in their communities.
Assistant chief constable Jenny Sims said: "Staffordshire Police will be there when you need us and we are transforming the way we work to better serve communities in an ever changing digital age. We are investing in neighbourhood policing and improving online and telephone services to make it easier and more convenient for the public to get in touch with the police to find the information they need and to report minor crimes and other matters online.
"The reduction in the number of front office counters will not affect local policing and officers will continue to have visibility and work as part of the increased community policing teams across the county. As part of this the public will be able to get access to their local officers via drop-in surgeries, police posts and other locations such as partners’ offices, not just via traditional stations which are often not convenient for people.”
Cannock, Burton and Longton front desks will be open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
'Unacceptable'
The closures have prompted criticism from Cannock Chase District Council leader George Adamson, who branded the closures ‘unacceptable’.
He told the Express & Star: “It is not good at all. Yes it is good Cannock is staying open but it is not acceptable they are closing Rugeley, it is a big town and needs a public face for policing.
“It is yet more cuts that are going to make policing even worse than it is now.
“How can they expect people to travel miles to visit a front desk? It’s unacceptable.”
Staffordshire Police says it has made the decision to cut the number of its front desks back as the number of people visiting them fell by nearly half between 2016 and last year.
A spokesman for the force said: “The force is continuing to evolve and change to best meet the demands of policing in today’s world and part of this is looking at how the public wish to engage with and contact us.
“Evidence shows that the number of visitors using police front counters has dropped steadily over the past few years, with people choosing instead to meet local officers at community locations or contact police in other ways such as by the non-emergency 101 number or online. Between 2016-2018 footfall to front office counters fell by 47 per cent, with the majority of people using front counters for property related issues.
“There has been huge investment by the force in mobile technology and developing more online access to services, as well as improving telephone contact to make it easier and more convenient for the public to get in touch and report minor crimes on line rather than face to face.
“There has been an increase in the number of officers working in communities.”