Gwent Police has refused to deny it will be closing most of its stations after Caerphilly MP Wayne David found out about the plans.
The Labour politician said he learnt of the plans from an “anonymous source”.
Part of the proposal include having only one full-tine police station in the whole of Gwent atNewport Central Station.
Two stations, at Ystrad Mynach and Ebbw Vale, will remain open but will only be able to deal with public enquiries between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.
The stations at Bargoed and Caerphilly and a “few others” will have a Station Enquiry officer who will travel throughout Gwent to staff the stations for two hour slots.
Station enquiry officers, who are civilian employees, could also be facing redundancy according to the MP
According to Mr David, enquiry officers will no longer be able to take crime reports and direct an officer to investigate a crime. Instead, officers will have to leave their front-line duties to take crime reports from members of the public.
Mr David said he understood the proposals had not been discussed by Gwent Police Authority yet, but were under “active consideration”.
He said: “I am extremely worried by these ‘suggestions’. In recent years, Gwent Police have closed a number of Police stations in their drive to save money. But what I have learnt would be catastrophic for policing in Gwent. They would deprive people of access to the police and would also take police officers off the front-line.
“Already Gwent Police has lost 40 front-line officers. If these suggestions come about they will be a huge body blow to the fight against crime. I would hope that elected representatives at all levels, and of all Parties, will say to the Government that these cuts are totally unacceptable. Our communities in Gwent must be made safe from crime. If these plans come about, the good work of the past few years will be totally undermined.”
After being asked for a response by Caerphilly Observer, Gwent Police released the following statement.
“Gwent Police has taken the opportunity to redesign the way that communities access our services. Research has shown that the public expects a 21st Century Police force to offer many ways of accessing services, and do more than simply invest our limited funding on antiquated police buildings that are often poorly located for the community.
“Gwent Police has been required to save £32m following a reduction in its budget. We have already achieved large savings, but we still need to save a further £17m. We firmly believe that the force can improve access to services and officer visibility by using resources in a more efficient way.
“The public have told us that they want police officers to be more visible in the community, using new technology to engage and interact with them and listen to their needs. Society is changing in the way it communicates and reports crime, and Gwent Police will respond accordingly in the way that it develops and delivers its services.
“Our desire is to see the public access our services in a manner suits them, at a time that is convenient. Our research shows us that fewer people are now visiting police stations and other buildings while more and more interaction with the police is through phone, web and digital channels such as smart phones.
“The public can be reassured that there is absolutely no threat to our 24/7 response nor to our visible neighbourhood officer presence in communities. In terms of our approach to police premises, we already have a well-publicised process of relocating services where buildings are in the wrong location to meet demand. There are positive examples of where this is working in areas such as Newport City Centre and Rassau, near Ebbw Vale, where we have successfully co-located services with partners to maximise resources and improve visibility.”
So, a Labour MP gets high profile press coverage telling people he has 'claims' of police stations closing.
Once again he offers no alternatives to the facts that in cutting costs why does the police need a police station open at the top of the valleys at 3am every morning?
Does he want police stations open with staff in them in case a member of the public walks in … or does he want a police service that has all available members of staff ready to respond to the emergency calls from the public.
These 'claims' are a very pertinent message showing that politicising the police shows that there is no understanding of operational or community policing in the personal agendas of politicians.
Mr David should try to understand the allocation of officers, from hubs, in the Gwent police and controlled from the force headquarters means that when the 999 call is received there is ALWAYS an officer made available to attend the call. Unless Mr David would prefer that this officer has to turn the lights off and lock the police station before getting to your house because it is being burgled?????
Was Ystrad Mynach police station not one of the councils pet projects. Bargoed police station has been part time for numerous years. After dark they're too scared to come out or answer the door. Never mind, you can always tweet them or click like on their latest publicity shot on facebook.
Roll on the election of police commissioners. If what Wayne David has had reported to him is true it indicates that our police authority, a faceless bunch of appointees, is making a hash out of policing this borough. At least we will get an opportunity to boot out an elected commissioner if he or she had dreamed up a plan like this one.
I also think it is peculiar that our courts and police are run from Gwent, it’s like Wiltshire police being run from Avon. We are, and historically have been, a part of Glamorgan. This should be a South Wales Police area and the Gwent force should look after Gwent only.