Police station front office to close (From Daily Echo)
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Ringwood police station closing to public
2:40pm Wednesday 8th February 2012 in Crime
Police station front office to close
ANOTHER Hampshire police station is closing to the public.
Residents will no longer be able to visit the front office at Ringwood police station to report crimes and discuss other issues with officers.
But police say officers will continue to be based at the station after the front desk shuts on March 30.
Inspector Simon Tribe said: “We are exploring opportunities to be even more accessible to the public by operating from other locations within the wider Ringwood area, including council offices, libraries or local supermarkets.
“Safer Neighbourhoods officers will continue to patrol their beats and will be available for discussions and advice during beat surgeries and other community meetings.
“There will also be an emergency response team available in the area 24/7 to deal with more serious incidents.”
Explaining the decision to shut the front office, Insp Tribe added: “The closure is a direct result of the current financial climate. By closing front offices where demand is low, the force can make some of the huge savings it has to as a result of our reduced budget.”
As reported in the Daily Echo, the front office at New Milton police station is also closing.
Comments(3)
sotonwinch09
says...
4:05pm Wed 8 Feb 12
IronLady2010
says...
7:30pm Wed 8 Feb 12
You can report a crime by phone, either from home or most stations have a phone outside or you can even use a phone box in the Street.
I would guess most people visit to produce documents after being stopped for driving offences?
You can still visit the station by appointment and an officer will meet you.
Times have moved on now we have such things as telephones and mobiles and email and internet. Keep up man!
Linesman says...
3:10pm Wed 8 Feb 12
They reason that if there is no one manning the front office, less crimes will be reported, meaning that at the next election they can tell us how they reduced crime.