Police move to close three district stations

increasing the numbers of Neighbourhood Police officers and PCSOs over the next year. Saving money on estates helps us do that.

“It all forms part of a wider ongoing strategy to reduce the number of properties across the organisation, which have either been left empty, are largely under-used or are very expensive to run.

“Since 2010, due to Government austerity measures, the size of our workforce has decreased and we need to reduce our costs.

“We are now operating with around 1,400 fewer people.

“Alongside all this, newly built state of the art buildings across the force have given us greater capacity and are specifically designed with 21st century policing in mind.

“Response times change as a result of these plans and the existing operational deployment centres, which are not changing, will ensure we continue to police all areas effectively.”

West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Mark Burns-Williamson, added: “The way in which we operate and respond to the public is improving all the time with advances in technology that West Yorkshire Police are at the forefront of.

“This is not just about the money, although we have had to face challenges as our budget has been reduced by around £140m since 2010, this is about providing newer and better placed police buildings for our officers and staff to work from.”