As part of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s commitment to ensuring as much money is spent on frontline policing as possible, four police stations in Shropshire will be relocating.
Commissioner John Campion is responsible for all West Mercia police buildings and has a duty to ensure they are effective and efficient and deliver value for money on behalf of local communities.
Following a review of all police buildings, it has been found that a number of them aren’t currently being fully utilised. By working with partners, as part of the One Public Estate Programme (OPE), the Commissioner has been able to identify where savings can be made by co-locating buildings without reducing the level of service the public receives.
The first four sites identified for co-locating will be sharing space with the following organisations:
- Bridgnorth Police Station will co-locate with Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service at Bridgnorth Fire Station on Innage Lane. This relocation is taking place because the existing building is too large.
- Wem Police Station will co-locate with the NHS at the Community Clinic on Aston Street. This relocation is taking place because the existing building is too large.
- Whitchurch Police Station will co-locate with the NHS at Whitchurch Community Hospital on Claypit Street. This relocation is due to the building no longer being fit for purpose, with a modernisation costing too much to make it suitable.
- Shrewsbury Town Centre Police Post will co-locate with the town council in the Darwin Library on Castle Street. This relocation is due to the existing police building being poorly located. This will now mean that the team is more centrally located for communities to access the police services and enable closer working with partners.
The Commissioner said: “Our police force needs to be in fit-for-purpose buildings that support the new technology we are introducing. It is also important that, whilst doing this, we are identifying savings and ways of working better and more closely with partners.
“Placing the Safer Neighbourhood Teams in shared spaces that are regularly accessed by members of the public will allow the police, and their services, to be made even more accessible than they were before.”
The Commissioner will continue to review all buildings with a view to exploring opportunities with any compatible partners or organisation to co-locate and share efficiencies.
Issued on: Wednesday 9 May
