COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

West Midlands Police announced today that the front counters at Little Park Street and Foleshill (Stoney Stanton Road) stations would be shut to save money.



A total of 27 front counters are being closed across the West Midlands force after a survey found that some stations received just one visitor a day and bosses say the move will save £3million.

Just Chace Avenue station in Willenhall will remain open in Coventry as one of ten front counters regionally.

Nine of them will be open from 8am to 10pm - including Chace Avenue- and one for 24 hours a day.

Officers will still be based at all three Coventry stations and police chiefs say the front counter closures will not adversely alter the service they deliver.

West Midlands Police carried out a year-long survey which looked at front office use, accessibility and alternative methods of contact.

Over 7,000 people were interviewed and footfall across 41 front offices monitored against the running costs in staffing front offices. Another 320 people shared their views via an online survey.

The review found that the public rarely visit front counters, with some having as few as one visitor per day.

When asked their preferred method of contacting the police, front offices did not feature in the top three choices − the majority preferred more modern ways of contacting the police.

Assistant Chief Constable Carl Foulkes said: “The decision to close front offices has not been taken lightly and followed a year-long review speaking to our communities to gain a detailed understanding of the service we provide and thoroughly analysing footfall.

“The simple fact is front offices are hugely underused and cost the taxpayer millions each year to keep open. Nothing will change to the local delivery of policing - local neighbourhood teams will continue to patrol and be very much a part of their local community.

“Like all other forces, we have to continue to reduce spending and ensure taxpayers’ money is spent on the services which matter to them most.

“We need to ensure we offer a service that is relevant to people in their daily lives.”

He said every effort would be made to redeploy staff who may be affected by the closures.

Foleshill police station will be closed to the public from end of February

Foleshill Police Station will be closed to the public from the end of February.

The front counter at the Stoney Stanton Road base - rumoured to be at risk of full closure - will shut for good on February 28.

The station will remain open for the time being, with staff continuing to work there.

Three front counters in Birmingham are the first to be shut in the latest round of cost cutting measures with nine others, including Foleshill, in February.

Remaining front offices set for closure will shut later this year.

A total of ten front counters will remain open to the public in the West Midlands, with Coventry Central, in Little Park Street, and Willenhall, in Chace Avenue, remaining open in Coventry.

A police spokesman said: “The closures follow analysis which showed there was little demand from the public during the evening and overnight and most people wanted more modern ways of contacting the police.”

The closures are part of efforts to save the force £3million.

U-turn over plans to close Coventry central police station to public

Police look set to keep a front office open in Coventry city centre for the time being after people power forced a rethink.

Under recently revealed plans the front counter at Coventry Central Police Station, in Little Park Street, would have been shut, leaving only the Willenhall office open to the public in the city.

But after a huge response during public consultation, that proposal has now been put on hold, with police and crime commissioner David Jamieson backing a move to keep the city centre office open while the custody suite is still being used.

That looks to remain the case for some time – and even when custody arrangements are altered it is expected that some sort of contact point will be opened in the centre of Coventry.

The changes were unveiled at a meeting of the West Midlands strategic police and crime board today (Tuesday).

As expected, Mr Jamieson rubber-stamped a proposal to sell off police bases in Radford, Tile Hill and Spon End and move neighbourhood teams elsewhere.

The force’s director of resources, David Wilkin, praised the consultation over the changes, led by Chief Supt Claire Bell.

He said: “It’s good that we have been able to engage with the public and explain some of the story about how police buildings are used and the link between that and police presence.”

Mr Wilkin also revealed that any proposed co-location of police and fire service in Coventry could take place in a new building, although no deal has been done yet.

“The fire service are really keen to develop in the Radford area,” he said.

“If we can align our aims then it would make sense but we cannot really commit at this stage.

“It’s certainly in our thinking and I will be meeting my opposite number in the fire service in the next few months. It’s still on our radar.”

The review of Coventry’s police buildings is taking place in two stages.

The second stage is expected to discuss plans for Coventry Central, Foleshill and Bell Green police stations.

In theory all three could close, with teams based in Radford, Foleshill and Bell Green all moving to a new building shared with the fire service.

Those proposals are still being developed by force bosses.