Police stations cop it in budget

Roath is one of four police stations to close in Cardiff as part of saving cutbacks

By Nick Dermody BBC News website

The old fashioned "cop shop" could soon be disappearing in some places, with cash constraints shaping thinking on how to police communities.

New technology and budget pressures means forces are looking at how to put more of their officers on the beat while reducing the number of buildings.

South Wales Police are selling off four Cardiff stations.

The force says the stations, some more than 100 years old, are expensive to maintain with some in poor repair.

As it prepares to open a £17m divisional HQ at Cardiff Bay, the force has been criticised over the sell-off plans for the stations at Roath, Cathays, Canton and Grangetown areas of the city.

But the force's chief constable, Barbara Wilding, had been signalling for some time that money was an issue and changes were needed.

Canton, Cathays, Grangetown and Roath stations are due to close, with a divisional HQ in Cardiff Bay set to open

Last month she warned of cutbacks after failing to secure a big enough increase in the money raised from council tax.

And in February, she said that without more funds she would have to charge major event promoters in Cardiff, such as the Millennium Stadium, full policing costs.

That idea was firmly rebuffed by the stadium's manager, Gerry Toms, who in a previous career was a senior police officer in central Cardiff with more than 1,000 officers and civilian staff on the books.

Yet Mr Toms is sympathetic to Ms Wilding's need to shore up the force's finances as well as reshape the way police officers do what many see as their bread-and-butter job, patrolling the streets and reassuring the public.

He agrees traditional police stations may have to go and be replaced by a softer-style of policing presence at places like shopping centres.

He said: "Police stations were put there for a good reason 100 years ago but those reasons no longer apply.

"There were no telephones, so they were put where people could get to them easily in the event of an emergency.

"People literally ran to their nearest police station. That no longer applies with modern technology."

After about 4-5pm you can't get any service - a lot of times I reported crime and they had to come out from Cathays and Central Jemma Henry

The former chief superintendent said when he was in the force he had many discussions about how policing had to change to be more flexible and his conclusion was police had to be where the people were, in city centres and shopping centres.

He said: "Traditionally, they all trundled back to their little police fortress to do their paperwork and have their meals, for example.

"I'm in favour of a more American-style model, where police stay in the community."

He conjured up an image of officers having their break in a local diner or cafe, perhaps catching up on their paperwork electronically, as they spend most of their shift outdoors.

He said: "That makes police officers far more reassuring and accessible. But it's part of an overall package - they must deliver all not part of it. It's not rocket science."

But Gary Mason, former editor Police Review magazine, says the police system and the criminal justice system remain "bureaucratic giants".

He said: "When you go to any police headquarters, you see all the officers who aren't on frontline police duties, who are collating statistics, etc, and you can see the size of the challenge the service faces.

"Those jobs and roles have grown up over time. It's very difficult to get rid go them overnight and replace them with mobile policing, as it's known.

We need a police station. It's a deterrent Christine Thompson

"It's not just the new technology, it requires a huge culture change to the police service to get through, to help them want to stay out in street for a whole shift.

"Frontline policing is not everybody's cup of tea."

The South Wales force has already embraced new technology with its ourbobby.com website, allowing the public to contact their community officers; this has been supplemented by an online crime statistics search engine.

What is also well established is a 101 call centre for people to report low-level crime such as anti-social behaviour.

However, none of the people I met outside Roath police station had used the internet to find out about crime statistics in their area or to contact police.

Mother-of-one Jemma Henry, 24, said closing the station "would not make any difference because it's never open".

She said: "After about 4-5pm you can't get any service - a lot of times I reported crime and they had to come out from Cathays and (Cardiff) central (police station).

However, she was not impressed by the prospect of going to the bay or the city centre to report a crime.

"This is not exactly a rich area. A lot of the time we ain't got the money to be catching taxis down there."

Security officer and former Gurkha, Mahesh Devkota, 35, said closing Roath police station was not a good idea.

'Reassurance'

He said: "This area is a little bit dodgy. It definitely needs a police station. Cathays Park (Cardiff Central police station) is too far away."

Christine Thompson, 57, said: "We need a police station. It's a deterrent.

"That's what we had years and years ago, policemen walking the beat, not doing all this paperwork. And I think there was less crime."

South Wales Police has said response officers from Roath and Cathays will subsequently be re-housed at Cardiff Central Police Station in Cathays Park, but will continue to cover the same area.

In a statement, South Wales Police chief superintendent Josh Jones said: "I appreciate that people like to have their local police station because it gives them reassurance but the savings we are making are to maintain frontline policing."

Here are a selection of your views.

The best way to save money to allow us to have local police services without writing a blank tax payers cheque is to have one national police service, with centralised HR and corporate functions and much slimmer senior management(not 50 odd chief constables) and then devolve straight to the Divisional/Chief Superintendant tier. Of course, that was a suggestion Ms Wilding probably isn't keen to float upwards - It would be like turkeys voting for Christmas.
Stuart Edwards, Hitchin, Herts, UK

The police service is obsessed with promoting unsuitable officers, forming squads, targets, just about anything but actually doing police work. There is a requirement to get officers back on the streets, not sitting in offices at a computer. They appear to have completely lost the original ethic of 'protection of life and property' If, as Gary Mason says, 'Frontline policing is not everybody's cup of tea' then get another job. It's like saying flying an aircraft is not the pilot's cup of tea, ridiculous. The modern police force is saturated with inneffective, lazy and disinterested officers I'm afraid.
Andy, South wales

I read with interest the suggestion that Gerry Toms makes for police in the community based on the American model whereby we will see officers sitting in cafes having their meal. This is film stuff. I have witnessed this recently first hand in New York. I met one detective who explained he had a prisoner that day who had the 'cheek' to ask for a lawyer, "So I hit the (expletive) with the yellow pages and told him there you go you (expletive) you just met seven thousand of them". All this is okay to the average law abiding New Yorker, because they do not care what the Police do as long as they feel safe. The Cops are respectful and polite to the law abiding member of the public. The bad guys know what to expect if they are caught, maybe a smack in the mouth and some prison time. I feel safer in New York than in any big city I have visited. So yes Gerry lets base our policing on the American model, but keep 6th Precinct Roath for somewhere where we can put bad guys in the slammer before they get a bit of a slap and ensure that all the bars, pubs cafes understand the rules.
Paul Phillips, Cardiff, South Wales

Roath and Cathays are in very poor condition, and are relics of a bygone era. Roath is actually used by TV companies to film period dramas! This will mean an investment in premises designed for frontline cops serving communities which are now very different from those existing when the stations were first built. Its a bit sad to see these old Cardiff stations go, but it should have happened years ago.
Daniel, Cardiff

The fact that stations are closing will not make any difference to policing in your areas, the change will only come when the good citizens and media of this country gets behind the police and demands that the police are back on your streets, their paperwork streamlined to a minimum with administrative teams to support them and that criminals are dealt with firmly so that they are deterred from a life of crime. If good people do nothing they will get the police service they deserve. So speak up tell your MP/AM want you expect/want!
gareth , Merthyr Tydfil

They were lucky to have police stations to close. Our town never has had a police station; come to think of it, we don't even see real police on the streets at all except on Carnival Day when the direct the traffic. Now we have CSO's who we see on rare occasions.The police cars used to race through the town centre several times a day with sirens wailing and with blue flashing fairy lights. Now we have a brand new by-pass (opened last week) so we don't even see the police cars anymore!

Keith, Earl Shilton, Leicestershire

I would be sorry to see Roath Close. I served there in the early 1990's as a Special Constable and found it a nice Station to work at.It was located close to the former A&E Department at the Cardiiff Royal Infirmary which meant if there were any problems with patients becoming aggressive, we could respond within minutes.
Greg Johnson, Newport Gwent UK

New Technology? Hah! There is no point in deploying new technology if police officers do not talk to one another. I recently had my car stolen and it was down to me to tell the officer who was handling my case about the officer who called me to tell me it had been found!
Daniel Trimm, United Kingdom

I have a suggestion for Chief Constable Barbara Wilding on how to save money, why don't they start using NORMAL patrol cars instead of the 5-series BMW's, Lexus' Mercedes and all other manner of high-end luxury vehicles - South Wales Police would save a packet in no time at all!
Phil Bartlett, Llanharan, Rhondda Cynon Taf

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