Robbed of our police
More than half of local stations now ‘part-time’
RECORD numbers of police stations in Scotland are now closed in the evenings and at weekends – sparking fears that cutbacks could be hampering the fight against crime.
Figures obtained by the Scottish Mail on Sunday show that, in recent years, the number of stations open to the public 24/7 has fallen dramatically, with only a handful still manned around the clock.
More than a third of stations are now shut at weekends, and more than half are closed after 6pm.
Worryingly, the body that represents rank-and-file police officers warned that, with Police Scotland facing on-going financial pressures, there could be further reductions in opening hours – which they said would make it harder for officers to respond quickly to call-outs.
Police Scotland insists officers are available at all times of day and night to respond to emergencies, even if local stations are closed.
But opposition politicians argued that as many police stations as possible should remain open 24/7 to provide not only a place for the public to report crime, but also to offer safety to anyone worried or under threat, and to offer assistance to the lost and vulnerable.
Labour MSP Graeme Pearson, former director general of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, said: ‘Towns and villages saw the police station as a key part of their community. In the absence of effective technology to help fill that gap, members of the public can be forgiven for feeling abandoned.’
Calum Steele, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, said budget pressures could see further reductions in opening hours. He said: ‘We don’t see any signs this will be reversed any time soon.’
There are 153 police offices across the country with public counters, while a further 61 have none. Of the 153, only 24 are now open 24/7. By contrast, in 2007 there were 85 stations offering 24/7 services, and even as recently as 2013, 60 public counters were open at all times.
In Edinburgh, only two out of 11 police stations are now open 24hours a day, while in Greater Glasgow day-and-night services are provided by two out of 21 stations.
At present, 60 stations – more than a third of the stations with public counters – are open 9-5 on weekdays but closed at the weekends. Thirtyseven are open between 7am and midnight seven days a week, and a further 24 are open 8am to 6pm every day. Overall, this means that 60 per cent of Scotland public counters are shut by 6pm, forcing those in need during the night to seek help elsewhere – often via telephone.
A spokesman for Police Scotland said: ‘Members of the public are able to contact police in a variety of ways, including at front counters, dialling 101 for non-emergency enquiries or 999 for emergencies, and appointments can be arranged if the issue is not an emergency.’