Police front desks ARE to close

FRONT desk counters at 33 police stations in Greater Manchester are set to close after police chiefs ruled they weren’t worth saving after all.

A U-turn on shutting the counters had seemed possible after residents in Oldham viced their concern at a public meeting with Chief Constable Peter Fahy. A public consultation period was subsequently extended.

But Greater Manchester Police and Greater Manchester Police Authority say a comprehensive review they have undertaken reveals a dramatic fall in numbers visiting police enquiry counters.

It means counters at Failsworth, Royton and Uppermill police stations are set to shut, while the opening times at Oldham will be reduced from 24 hours to between 8am and 11pm. Chadderton would be open for an eight-hour period each day from Monday to Saturday.

The force yesterday entered into a formal 90-day statutory consultation period with staff and UNISON about the proposal.

Police chiefs say it supported the work the force is doing to make savings of £134 million by 2015. The busiest 22 of the 55 counters across Greater Manchester will stay open at hours tailored in line with customer demand to save the force nearly £1.5 million.

An analysis of use showed the number of visits had fallen by almost half since 2009, from 1,039,721 down to 532,320, and that nearly half of visitors to enquiry counters are generated by the organisation itself through appointments.

It claims the counters are very expensive to run with the cost ranging from £6.38 up to £100.40 per customer, with an average cost per visitor being £14.11.

The majority of people (76 per cent) from public consultation who had contacted the police in the last five years had done so by phone.

Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said: “What we want to do is provide the very best access to our services in a way that are fit for the future and consider the current financial situation.”

GMPA chairman, Councillor Paul Murphy, said: “Not only will these proposals help us meet the financial challenges ahead, but also enable us to provide a quality, fit-for-purpose and value-for-money police service to the communities of Greater Manchester.

“This is not about withdrawing from communities.”