Express & Star comment: Difference of opinions over police station closures
We make no apology for returning to the highly contentious issue of police station closures.
Hot on the heels of West Midlands Police announcing plans to shut down bases, Staffordshire Police say a similar move is on the horizon.
Police and crime commissioner Matthew Ellis is aiming to raise £13.7 million from the force's estate over the next 12 months.
It doesn't take a genius to work out what such a move is likely to entail.
Meanwhile, Staffordshire Police Chief Constable Gareth Morgan said the force does not need all of the buildings it currently has at its disposal.
According to him, the 130-plus bases, stations and headquarters are not required to deliver policing in the modern world.
Their comments show just why this issue is such a divisive one.
When it comes to the importance of police stations, our forces and many of our politicians appear to be at odds with the public.
Politicians from all of the main parties appear to be broadly in favour of closing police buildings, providing the money is reinvested elsewhere in the service.
It is almost as if closing police stations is now considered an acceptable move, whereas years ago such a suggestion would have prompted havoc.
But while legislators argue that the cash can be diverted for better use elsewhere, many members of the public have a very different opinion.
It is a sad indictment on modern law and order that the sight of bobbies on patrol has become a rarity in some communities.
The erosion of bases across the region has dealt a further hammer blow.
For crime to be tackled head on, there must be a significant police presence.
This means officers on our streets and bases at the heart of our communities.
In years to come, people may well look back at this period in a state of despair.
It will be seen as a time of rising crime, augmented by a failing criminal justice system.
At some time in the future we will reach the point where all of this will come to a head.
In the meantime, this country desperately requires the type of strong leadership that it currently sorely lacks.
