Express & Star comment: Criminals only ones to benefit
In terms of budget cuts, all of our police forces have suffered to some extent in recent years.
But while West Midlands Police has been one of the hardest hit in the entire country, losing £178 million and more than 2,000 officers since 2010, the prevailing view until recently is that Staffordshire Police has managed to weather the storm.
But over the last 12 months the cracks have started to show.
Staffordshire’s Chief Constable Gareth Morgan has raised concerns about budget cuts, and last year warned that the force was having to cancel officers’ leave due to a shortage of personnel.
Now it has emerged that front desks are set to close across the county, in a decision that Staffordshire Police say is due to a drop off in footfall at police stations.
It is also safe to assume that by selling off these sites the force will be able to bolster its coffers – although it should be noted that financial concerns have not been cited as an official reason behind the move.
Across a county of almost one million people, the only remaining stations will be in Cannock, Burton and Longton, near Stoke.
Stafford will not have a station, neither will the entire South Staffordshire area or Rugeley.
Police bosses talk at length about the “evolution” of the force, and how front desks are no longer needed due to the changing face of crime.
But try telling that to the public.
There is a widely held view across the whole country that the police are on the retreat.
In some areas of Staffordshire you are about as likely to spot a shooting star as you are to see a bobby on the beat.
Officers are thin on the ground, and getting rid of police stations takes away another important element of community law and order.
In order to fight crime, our police forces need to have a visible presence.
Yet while crime rates – particularly for violent crime – rise year after year, the very people we rely on to keep us safe are disappearing from public view.
The police station closure programme may well be spun out as a positive move for the people of Staffordshire.
In reality, the only people who will benefit are the criminals.
