Residents slam station proposals

A CRIEFF RESIDENT has slammed plans for the possible relocation of its police station, claiming it will be unsuitable to be placed on the edge of town.

Tayside Police and Perth and Kinross Council have had extensive discussions about moving Crieff Police Station to Strathearn Community Campus.

If this happens, this will result in Crieff Police Station closing its doors at King Street, where it has been located for 100 years.

The force feels there are a number of rooms at the police station which are not used, including the cells and doctor’s room.

Yesterday, Tom Handy, a Crieff resident and former member of Crieff Community Council, claimed that “a lot of people” in the Strathearn town are not happy about the proposed move.

“By moving the police station to the periphery of Crieff, this is moving away to the edge of the town,” he said.

“The same thing happened when the library was moved to the Strathearn Community Campus where children are. Many people are a bit uneasy about this.”

Mr Handy feels that there is not sufficient police cover in Crieff at the moment and feels moving the police station will make matters even worse.

“There was an incident when a woman and some friends went into the police station on Saturday following them finding a two-year-old child being found on her own in the middle of Galvelmore Street,” he added.

“There was no one in the police station, just a contact number to phone. They had to wait 25 minutes and the child was reunited with her mother, who was relieved beyond belief.

“This underlines the problem in not having police on the beat. People in Crieff don’t know who the police are anymore.

“The public were not consulted about this proposed move of the police station.”

However, Superintendent Jim Leslie, of community policing division (Perth and Kinross Local Policing Area), said the possible move is “not a done deal.”

“We have been in talks about a potential move of Crieff police station,” he told The Courier.

“There is not always somebody at Crieff Police Station 24/7, so there will be times when nobody will be there. There is a contact number for people to get in touch with the police control room – there is still that capacity.

“There was an open day last week at which the public could express their views and these will be reviewed. A lot of things need to be sorted, including finance before a final decision is made.”

Inspector Iain Ward, the senior officer for the area, had previously said there will be no reduction in police numbers or the service provided.

“The move to the campus can only be a positive one,” he had said.

“Having an operational police office within a community campus is a new concept, but one which, I think, makes common sense in this day and age.”

A public meeting will be held at the Strathearn Community Campus lecture theatre on November 22 at 7.30pm.

Community Inspector Iain Ward (left) and member of the public Tom Handy in the Strathearn Community Campus, Crieff, which has been proposed as the new location for Crieff police station.