600 police stations axed in 8 years

MORE than 600 police stations have closed in the last eight years – with property worth £1 billion sold off in London alone.

Some forces have closed more than half their stations, with 21 out of 28 stations shutting their doors in Gloucestershire.

Cities including Bath and St Albans no longer have dedicated stations, while 100 stations have been shut down in the capital.

Rank-and-file representatives insist police stations provide ‘reassurance’ and their loss indicates a decision to ‘withdraw visible policing from the streets’.

But chief constables blame the largest closure programme in policing history on the austerity drive introduced in 2010. They argue victims rarely use police buildings, preferring to report crimes by phone and internet, adding they want new and more efficient working practises.

The latest figures from 38 out of the 43 police forces in England and Wales show how traditional stations and custody suites bore the brunt of cuts.

A total of 606 police stations have closed. In Thames Valley, 24 out of 60 stations have shut as part of a drive to save £40 million. Cleveland has shut 12 police stations since 2010, triggering a protest by residents carrying placards reading: ‘We need to feel safe. We need police presence.’ In London, Britain’s largest police force has sold more than £1 billion of property over the past six years.

The Metropolitan Police passed the tenfigure mark after netting £41million in the latest financial year.

Ken Marsh, of the Police Federation, said: ‘We’ve sold the Crown Jewels, so to speak. We’ve run out of things to sell. This is really, really worrying for society. They have all been sold so that we don’t have to cut police officers. That is shocking.’

Last year London Mayor Sadiq Khan closed 38 police station front counters to save £8 million a year.

A Home Office spokesman said: ‘ Police have the resources they need to carry out their vital work.’