Hundreds of police stations shut to the public in past seven years

A POLICE station closes every fortnight, figures show, amid accusations that “criminals are getting away with it”.

At least 217 stations with counters allowing the public to talk to officers have shut since 2015 to cut costs.

It represents a quarter of the total closed in the past seven years, with the south of England hit hardest. It leaves fewer than 600 police stations open, down from nearly 1,300 a decade ago.

Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, obtained the data through Freedom of Information requests to forces.

He said: “Too many people feel unsafe on their own streets, and too many criminals are getting away with it.”

He called for “a return to proper community policing, where officers are visible, trusted and focused on cutting crime”.

Numerous crimes have taken place near stations closed to the public. A homeless mother of three was beaten to death opposite a shut station, and a cyclist knifed to death on a common overlooked by a former station in Birmingham in December. Earlier this year, Ahmed Beker, 19, was stabbed to death near Paddington Green station, west London, which closed in 2018.

Thames Valley Police closed the most stations, shutting 23 stations and 44 counters since 2015, with 41 closures in 2016 alone. The Met is second, with 36 closed since 2015 – 31 of them in 2017. It is followed by Dorset (14), West Yorkshire (12), Gwent (11) and Devon and Cornwall (nine).

A Home Office spokesman said: “The Government is already over halfway to recruiting an additional 20,000 additional officers and the police are being given the powers, tools and funding they need to cut crime.

“However, police stations... Should be kept open where possible to ensure people feel safe in their communities.”