£350k spent on cop shop earmarked for closure
Police chiefs spent more than £350,000 upgrading facilities at Mill Street police station before earmarking it for closure, the Paisley Daily Express can reveal.
The Paisley town centre office and the police hub at Ferguslie Park are amongst 29 stations across the county which Police Scotland wants to close.
The national force has committed to maintaining a “presence” in Paisley but has refused to commit to retaining a public counter, CID or town-centre location.
Today, on the eve of the three-month consultation into those closures ending, it has been revealed that in excess of £130,000 has been spent on maintenance, repairs and upgrades to Mill Street Station.
Thousands have been spent addressing leaks in the 1980s premises, with serious leaks reported in the roof, radiators and toilets in the last three financial years, between April 2021 and March 2024.
Electrical issues are also a common theme, with lighting issues, air conditioning and water and fire risk assessments all adding to the bill.
However, by far the biggest spend is the sixfigure sum shelled out installing eight electric car charging points (EV) for the emergency fleet. A total of £244,306 was spent installing eight car charging points at Mill Street alone.
Russell Findlay, West Scotland MSP and the Conservative’s spokesperson for justice, uncovered the charging point investment in a freedom of information request and described the sum as “eye-watering”.
“Hard-working Scots struggling to pay their bills will be staggered at the eye-watering cost of these charging points,” he said.
“Wasteful SNP ministers must ensure that every precious penny is properly spent. Rather than squandering fortunes on EV points at police stations earmarked for closure, they should finally give officers the protection of body-worn cameras.”
He added: “We strongly believe that future policing provision in Paisley must include a public counter and in a central location.
“Crime victims and those seeking police advice often find it reassuring to be able to speak face-to-face.
“It is also vital that CID is maintained in Paisley to continue their important fight against drug dealing and investigation of other serious crimes.”
Neil Bibby MSP, who has been calling for a towncentre police station fit for the 21st century, said without a proper plan in place, the closure of two police stations in Scotland’s largest town would be “catastrophic”.
He added: “For years the SNP government has underfunded our local police. However, as revealed by this paper, there has been £130,000 spent on building repairs in the last few years.
“This is on top of a quarter of a million pounds being spent on electric charging points at the site.
“It is of course clear we need far more investment in our local police estate but people will rightly question the logic in shutting a police station that six figure sums have recently been spent on.
“My view is that either the Scottish Government invest to keep both the existing police stations open or they invest to provide a proper replacement.
“And any alternatives must be like-for-like. It would be unacceptable to close Paisley’s police stations without keeping an accessible public counter open and CID officers in the area.
People will rightly question the logic in shutting a police station that six-figure sums have been spent on
“These are basic requirements. They are fundamental to effective policing, and residents of Paisley cannot be expected to put up with their loss.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Police Scotland inherited a very large and ageing estate, much of which was not fit for purpose, with high maintenance costs and environmental inefficiencies.
“Our consultation on the future of Paisley police station is ongoing.
“We recognise the need for a local policing service for the people of Paisley and its surrounding towns and a police presence in the area will continue.
“We are considering a number of options for future premises and that includes co-location with partners to improve collaboration and deliver more integrated services.”