Police plan to axe station help desks

WEST YORKSHIRE: Police say stations at Weetwood, Killingbeck, Morley, Lawcroft House in Bradford, Eccleshill, Shipley and Ilkley will no longer have little-used help desks in a bid to save money.

PUBLIC HELP desks are closing at seven police stations around West Yorkshire after senior officers said they would save money by shutting the poorly used facilities.

West Yorkshire Police says its stations at Weetwood, Killingbeck, Morley, Lawcroft House in Bradford, Eccleshill, Shipley and Ilkley would no longer have the help desks, which are often used as the first point of contact for the public.

And after a review of how often the services are used, the opening hours at some other stations around the county are being reduced from this week.

The force, whose chief constable said this summer that her officers were exhausted as they worked long hours to make up for cuts to their workforce, says the money saved will be ploughed back into front-line services.

It said that a public survey carried out recently showed that an “overwhelming majority” of the public now contact the police by phone, at local meetings, online and through social media, while the numbers attending police stations “have fallen considerably over recent years”.

The poll showed that 91 per cent of respondents had not used a public help desk in the last 12 months, with 61 per cent having never used one at all.

Deputy Chief Constable John Robins said: “It’s well known that the force’s budget must still be significantly reduced over the next four years and it is crucial that we continue to consider how best to use our resources to keep people safe and feeling safe.

“The survey and our own analysis highlights that in many of our current police stations, only a few people use public help desks each day and a significant number of them are attending pre-arranged appointments with officers. The vast majority of people are actually contacting us through other means.

“It is clearly not efficient to have public help desks open when they are not being used.

“We are still committed to providing a service that is visible and accessible through front-line officers and PCSOs and that meets the needs of our communities.

“The changes will have no impact on front-line operational policing or our ability to respond to those who need us.”

At the sites where public help desks are being closed, the force says the same number of officers will remain on duty.

A number of stations, including Bradford District HQ at Trafalgar House and Leeds District HQ at Elland Road, will have their public help desks open from 8am to 10pm, Monday to Friday and 8am to 8pm at weekends.

Northgate police station in Wakefield is currently closed for refurbishment. It is due to reopen by March 2018 and will then be accessible Monday, Tuesday, Thursday between 10am and 3pm.

Other options for the public include dialling 999 in an emergency, 101 for non-emergency calls and the force’s website.

Every police station in West Yorkshire has a yellow telephone outside which can be used free of charge and links directly to staff in the police control centre.

West Yorkshire Police has lost more than 1,000 officers and in excess of £140m in funding since the start of austerity measures in 2010. Though then-Chancellor George Osborne pledged to protect police funding in 2015, increased demand means forces nationwide are having to make further cuts.

In June, Chief Constable Dee Collins said an increasing population, combined with cuts to police resources, was putting increasing strain on her “exhausted” officers.

The vast majority of people contact us through other means. John Robins, deputy chief constable, West Yorkshire Police.