Police plan
Police Scotland may make use of the old district court building right beside Rutherglen Police Station.
A planning application for a change of use has been submitted, although it is unclear whether that would mean an expansion of the station.
Rutherglen Police Station could be set for an expansion less than a year after it was under threat of closure.
Police Scotland is seeking planning permission to take over the old court house neighbouring the King Street property.
An application for a change of use, which includes internal and external alterations to the property, was submitted to South Lanarkshire Council in December.
It currently contains five offices, a large court room, a number of toilets, kitchen and store room.
But the force is remaining tight-lipped about its plans for the building, which sits on a 0.5-hecatre site, stating plans were “at an early stage”.
The long-term future for Rutherglen and Cambuslang police stations was put under review in November 2016 when the Scottish Police Authority confirmed the two locations were amongst 58 stations across the country which were facing potential closure.
In April 2017 it emerged the force’s preferred option was to close the station on Cambuslang’s Tabernacle Street and transfer officers to Rutherglen.
That option was, however, also dropped in April 2017 when both Rutherglen and Cambuslang were removed from the list of outlets Police Scotland said were surplus to requirements.
James Kelly MSP was amongst several Labour members who staged a protest against proposed closure outside Rutherglen Police Station in 2017.
He said: “This proposed investment in the Rutherglen Police Station is welcome news.
“It shows that local people have been successful in reversing the previous view of Police Scotland that the station should be closed.
“I have spoken with many distressed constituents about the importance of a visible police presence in the area, and believe it paramount for residents to feel safe in their communities.”
The proposed expansion of Rutherglen Police Station comes six months after a new local policing model was introduced to the area.
Four new problem solving units were created in a shake-up of local policing and sees a dedicated team of officers take sole responsibility for community policing in each of Rutherglen and Cambuslang’s four ward areas.
All four units are currently stationed at Rutherglen Police Station.
Cambuslang at present houses detective teams covering the local area as well as East Kilbride and Hamilton.
Public access to that building - which had only opened in 1994 - was stopped in 2014.