West Mercia Police to close nine front counters in Shropshire
West Mercia Police is changing the way it operates its public counter services to reflect how the public are choosing to access the police.
From 1 September nine front counters in police stations across Shropshire will have their front counter service replaced with ‘contact points’ to connect the visitor to a police call taker 24/7 via telephone intercom.
Bridgnorth, Church Stretton, Ludlow, Market Drayton, Oswestry, Shrewsbury Town Centre, Wellington, Wem and Whitchurch Police Stations will have no front counter provision but contact points installed to connect the visitor to a police call taker 24/7 via telephone intercom.
Telford station will have its front counter open to the public from 8am-8pm six days a week and 10am-4pm on Sunday and bank holidays. Whilst Shrewsbury Police Station will be open to the public from 8am-4pm Mon –Fri, 9am-5pm Satand 10am-4pm on Sundays and bank holidays.
The changes follow a review of current demand which found that public attendance at front counters has reduced significantly, with some having as little as one visitor per day, as other ways of engaging with police services have developed.
Bill Longmore, Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia, said: "The police must be accessible to people. I am keen to explore how we can continue to do this in a way that suits the different communities we have in West Mercia, whilst making the most of the resources we have. We are currently exploring opportunities to share resources such as front counters with partners wherever possible.
"Strengthening the local police's relationships with people is important and I hope that these changes will give people a wider opportunity to connect with them should they need to."
Chief Superintendent Amanda Blakeman, who has led the review into public contact and front counter provision said:
“The public access our services in many ways, but we have seen the number of people calling at public counters drop in recent years. Our review will close some public counters across West Mercia but our analysis of demand has provided evidence which has allowed us to take these steps without impacting the level of service enjoyed by communities.
“Keeping people safe is the focus of Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police and this is an opportunity to deliver a more consistent, professional service, which will enable more officers to be deployed where and when they are needed the most in our communities. There are a range of methods for public contact and service including calling 101, the introduction of 24/7 contact points at stations to connect callers to the police, 115 Safer Neighbourhood Teams each with a dedicated email address and Twitter account, monthly community meetings and drop in surgeries all enhancing local policing. We are continuing to work with partners in business and the public sector to develop more effective Community Policing Posts which will further enhance availability of policing services in communities.
“The strategic alliance between Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police has given us a chance to review all of our processes to ensure we make the best use of resources and provide best value for money to the communities we serve in order to protect people from harm.”
