Cop shop is set to close as police move to fire station

LEEK Police Station is to be sold off.

The building and an adjoining area is located in Fountain Street.

Police officers and staff from the premises are to move to Leek Fire Station in Springfield Road.

The building will then become a joint base for both the town’s fire and police service.

The news was announced by Matthew Ellis, Staffordshire Commissioner for both the police and fire services, at an extra-ordinary meeting in Ipstones last week.

In reply to a question by a member of the public, who asked if it was true that Leek Police Station could be closed, Mr Ellis said: “Yes we are going to sell Leek Police Station and move them in to the town’s fire station, which could save £5m.

“Only about 23 per cent of the fire station is used. The police would then pay a bit to the fire service.

“I am looking at working closer together and the money saved will go for additional front line services.

“I am also looking at first responding. I would like to see Staffordshire ambulance, fire and police together.”

Mr Ellis had been invited by Ipstones Parish Council after concerns had been raised over the future of the village fire station.

Mr Ellis said: “I am responsible for the budgets for the police and fire service in Staffordshire. I took over the fire service three months ago.

“Ipstones Fire Station is safe. I am looking at putting the police and fire together. This already exists at Ipstones. A lot of the fire stations are new buildings. However I do not like the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) system that they were built under. I have already managed to renegotiate some of them.”

Councillor Heather James asked what plans were in place for fire stations where people had local knowledge, while Councillor Andrew Stevenson said that Ipstones Fire Station was very important to the community and that it was founded during the Second World War.

Mrs James said: “Just a few weeks ago a referee collapsed on the pitch and local firefighters came to his aid to save his life.”

Mr Ellis said: “There is a massive hole in the retained firefighters service. We are getting a number of actions in place to get it back.

“The retained service is very important to Staffordshire, but it is under manned.

“I am still learning about the service, but already I have been to 75 per cent of the stations. The service is very competent.

“The fire stations have been busy this summer and lessons have been learned.

“Some firefighters have worked double shifts and I have been really impressed. I visited some incidents in the Moorlands and have never experienced anything like the fires in the area.

“Some were caused by mistakes, but some were intentional. The firefighters did a good job.”

Mr Ellis said that he had raised the police council tax precept this year to recruit more officers.

He said: “Crime has changed and domestic abuse has been hidden. On line crime has been overtaken by physical crime. There are big changes on how police do business.

“The government has got its sums wrong on pensions as we have to find another £9 million. I am unimpressed, but we are in negotiations with the government to come up with some more money.”

Questions were also raised over drugs and the concern of response

times after officers were responding from the city at night which it was felt was leaving people in rural communities vulnerable.

Mr Ellis said: “Drugs including monkey dust are a serious situation and there are significant concerns.

“We have put money into drug rehabilitation at a time when councils and the NHS have reduced their budgets. I can’t do this on my own. Drugs are at the centre of crime.

“I will look at the response times as I want police in the community.”

Mr Ellis also informed the meeting that this year’s Space programme for young people during the summer holidays had been a huge success.

He said: “The Space programme was started in 1981 and finished in 1989. I brought it back in 2015. More than 27,000 places have been filled this year and anti social behaviour was down.

“I am now looking at doing it at other holiday times.”