Unprecedented financial challenges are facing all public authorities and the police are not immune. There is a continuing requirement to find savings while providing best value for public services.
So what will this mean for community based policing?
The Chief Constable has apparently commissioned a review of counter services provided by police stations to determine a) best opening times b) the range of services provided.
Thinking about this for no more than ten minutes, I didn’t realise that the police station even had “opening times” and that it ran like more a 24/7 public service (which others should emulate), for crime and police reportable incidents occur somewhat unpredictably and there is always a PC boiling up a brew on TV. What is the range of services they provide at counters? Surely 80% of the population or is that 90% has little to do with the police from one decade to the other and crime and its reporting is probably more predictable in this day and age of data.
Apparently there is a decrease in visitors at the public counters at police stations all over Scotland. So the question is how to design the best fit for an area? I’m not sure where to start, but some stats, costs and possible savings would be a good place to begin with!
Then we can be slightly more reassured that this will not impact on operational police resources deployed and that the public service is not being eroded.