Shropshire Star comment: Jury out on police station closures

They are being shut to save money, with officers moving to share other buildings instead.

Perhaps we ought to give police the benefit of the doubt before rushing to a negative conclusion.

For bricks and mortar are not what keep us safe – it is bobbies on the beat, intelligence-led policing, the capacity to respond rapidly to emergencies and the ability to strategically plan and prevent crimes and serious incidents.

And savings made on buildings may give police a greater capability to do just that.

And yet something sticks in the craw about the loss of dedicated police stations and the creation of policing units at local libraries and fire stations.

Our society has worked so hard and invested so much in the infrastructure that is gradually being whittled away.

And can those who run our police service really tell us with absolute conviction that the move will lead to a reduction of crime, to less fear of crime and to safer communities?

The removal of police stations is part of a reduction of the state, where public services are compelled to become ever more efficient as we live through an age of austerity and see services swept away that we once took for granted changed beyond recognition.

Our communities are changing rapidly and services that were once established are being removed for good.

Of course, police can argue that technological advances mean they can afford to manage our communities in different ways.

Improved IT systems and a smaller number of bobbies on the beat mean police need much less space than they used to.

The money spent on heating, maintenance, cleaning and so forth can instead by diverted into front line police, or so the argument goes.

Some might say that we ought to find ways to keep police stations open as our towns gradually increase in size and the need to keep them safe also increases.

The police can only cash in their family silver once and being at the mercy of leases and landlords may sound good in the short term but could have adverse long term effects.

The move will be controversial with many, although we must hope things work out for the best.

The jury is out and time will tell.