The gym blue line

Police may be moved to fitness centres and supermarkets as more stations shut

POLICE officers could be based in gyms, post offices and supermarkets as more stations are closed.

Andrew Flanagan, chairman of the Scottish Police Authority, claimed the public no longer used local stations.

He told the Mail people were ‘reassured’ by them ‘but the reality is they don’t go to them… they use the phone or speak to an officer in the street’.

This could mean police are moved to public buildings while traditional offices are shut down or sold off to raise much-needed funds.

Last night, Scottish Tory justice spokesman Douglas Ross said: ‘The role of police may be evolving but that’s not an excuse for the Scottish Government to slash the front line and close stations.

‘Studies by the force have shown that direct contact with an officer is still people’s favoured way of reporting a crime.’

Mr Flanagan’s comments come after ministers and cash-strapped Police Scotland – which faces a financial black hole of more than £20million – this month revealed a plan which ranked tackling crime as fourth on a list of ‘priorities’.

The SPA chairman said policing should no longer be based on uniformed officers patrolling streets or ‘driving about in a car’. He added that ‘there have to be access points’ to policing for the public but there could be ‘other buildings’ for police activities to take place.

He said ideas had been tested for bases in other settings and did not rule out gyms, saying: ‘If that’s what’s working for people, good.’

Mr Flanagan also claimed the ‘whole debate about officer numbers has become a bit overblown’.

He added: ‘Policing is seen as uniforms – uniforms are good – and that’s going to change because a lot of the skills we need are not about having warrant cards, they’re about specialism. The reality is people with the kind of specialism and skills on cybercrime might be graduates out of Dundee University. They’re not going to want to spend 30 years in a uniform.’

Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Mawson has previously suggested that officers could be in 24-hour supermarkets because ‘they’re getting millions of people through them every year’.

Police Scotland have also trialled a scheme in Aberdeen allowing members of the public to go to certain Post Offices to report crimes.

Assistant Chief Constable Andrew Cowie said: ‘Police Scotland needs buildings which are modern, flexible and fit for future policing. Proposals for estate change come from local policing teams and they will consult with their communities and partners to identify the best solution to meet local needs. This is about enhancing the service we deliver.’

It emerged last month that more stations will be closed to save money, amid an ‘estate review’.

In 2014, it was announced that about 60 per cent of police stations had been shut since the SNP came to power as part of cost cuts.

When Police Scotland surveyed 10,000 people in its ‘Your Views Count’ publication, it found that attending a station or speaking to an officer directly was overwhelmingly the favoured approach when reporting crime.