Changes to Police Stations in Nottinghamshire

Before approving revised plans for police stations and front counter services we made sure every possibility was considered.

OK, we were fully aware that change is required in order to deliver further efficiencies but it was important that we look at all the options available to us.

We also wanted to establish what local people’s priorities were, which is why we asked them which was most important, police stations or officers on the beat. Overwhelmingly they voted in favour of officers on the beat.

Nearly 3000 people took part in our consultation and we are very grateful to all of them - as a direct result some of the original plans were revised to take account of public opinion.

Under the amended proposals, front counter services will be retained at 19 key stations rather than the current 42 - all with consistent opening times. A total of 12 stations which are hardly used by the public will close - six of these will see officers move to alternative community premises nearby while the remaining officers will be relocated back to the nearest available station.

Following comments made during consultation, Eastwood police station’s front counter will continue to remain open between 10am-6pm Monday to Friday and a contact point retained at Farndon due to the low cost of the building.

Meanwhile, a shared service project is being developed with Gedling Borough Council to facilitate a front counter service at the council’s Civic Centre in Arnold from April 2012.

It is likely that Sherwood Police Station will still be vacated when its lease expires on 31 October this year but plans are now underway to move to another, low-cost base in the area.

In addition, discussions with local authorities in the county will take place to try and identify opportunities for sharing facilities. The idea would be to create extra front counter services at little cost to the force. A mobile police station may also be used as an extra support measure in rural areas or other locations less well-served by police stations.

We are aware that some people may be disappointed that their police station or front counter service is being closed. However, such tough decisions cannot be avoided in the context of our financial circumstances and the pressure on us to provide value for money. The bases which have been identified for closure are expensive to run and rarely used by the public and can be easily co-located in shared partner or community premises or to a nearby police station.

The whole reorganisation plan has been designed to ensure everyone in Nottinghamshire will be within a 20-minute journey (or eight-mile radius) of a front counter and neighbourhood policing team.

It’s important to remember that the savings generated by this plan will help us safeguard future frontline services.

Soft sentences send out wrong signals

I am concerned that soft sentences for people involved in the recent disturbances send out the wrong signals to those troublemakers.

During the disturbances the Police, City Council, Nottingham City Homes and local businesses all pulled together fantastically and the support from local people was brilliant.

Now, the police officers who were out protecting the city deserve strong support from the courts.

We need the judicial system to hand down the strongest sentences available to them to show those responsible that as a society we will not tolerate this sort of behaviour.

I am sure that Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke will agree that tough sentences are needed and have called on him to ensure that all cases relating to the disturbances go to Crown Court rather than Magistrates Court.

Jon Collins, Chair of the Authority

Thank you to the Force

Through the disturbances of the last week, Nottinghamshire’s Police Officers, Police Community Support Officers, Community Protection Officers and support staff have been, quite simply, amazing.

These have been unprecedented challenges and officers worked tirelessly to control the violence. To their eternal credit, they also managed to do this quickly and effectively.

Many went above and beyond the call of duty, making the residents and businesses of Nottingham safer by their actions.

It is evident that the public are very supportive of what the police are doing at this difficult time. This is appreciated and heartening.

Thankfully, there have been only relatively low-level disturbances in Nottingham, but frankly, one incident is one too many. This type of behaviour must not be tolerated. It is inexcusable and those responsible must be brought to justice.

Recent Crime Figures

Although our recent crime figures compare favourably with previous years, it's important to remember the position we found ourselves in a year ago. The work we've undertaken has put us firmly on the road to recovery and hopefully the public will have more confidence in policing, but we must accept that a lot more work needs to be done before we exceed our own expectations for excellence.

The key them for the next 12 months has to be about continuity - continuing to drive forward change and innovation and inspiring our staff to achieve greater success.

This won't be easy given that our funding has been cut considerably as a result of the economic climiate, but we refuse to allow that challenge to affect our motivation for success