Mixed reaction to 'closure' of police stations

Dec 8 2009 By Mark Goode

RESIDENTS and councillors have given mixed reactions to the possible decision to close Ashford, Sunbury, and Shepperton police stations.

Chief constable Mark Rowley said in November that the force are planning to close numerous old police stations in the county and employ 200 extra front line bobbies in the face of their budget being cut by the government this year.

Although the force have not said exactly which stations will close, it is understand that Staines police station will stay open as a centre for 999 calls, but there is the possibility that the smaller stations in Ashford, Sunbury, and Shepperton, could be axed.

The proposals will be discussed with Surrey Police Authority in a meeting on Thursday.

Robbie Colison-Crawford, councillor for Sunbury Common, said: "It will be a disaster if Sunbury closes. We are surrounded by London boroughs and have high cross border crime, and I fear if the station goes we could see the drug dens coming back."

Mr Colison-Crawford said shop owners in Sunbury Cross had been threatened by youths recently, and said the crime wasn't low enough to justify closing stations.

But Vicki Kapoor Sood, a neighbourhood watch co-ordinator of Hadfield Road, Stanwell, thinks the higher police presence could only mean a good thing.

She said: "I personally think it is a good idea to have more bobbies on the street and more visibility. The police are there to protect the public, so if they are walking the streets and not sitting behind a desk it could only be a good thing. Hopefully it will go back to how it used to be in the old days, where you saw the police around all the time."

Denise Turner-Stewart, Surrey County Councillor for Staines South and Ashford West, said: "I think we would all support more officers, but I can understand many residents may be upset who have come to use their police stations a lot. But I don't think Ashford would be part of this closure as it already part of another building

"I hope they don't considering the problems the town has."

Julie Towers, a young mother of Stanwell, said: "A few years ago I was standing in Ashford when some youths chucked some eggs at my son. We were very upset and glad we had the police station nearby as a security. There is a lot of anti-social behaviour in Ashford so I hope they don't close it."

The police will liase with Spelthorne Council and shopping centres and libraries to create desks for the officers and meeting points for the public.

They believe the extra manpower could be used to tackle cross border crime and and create a higher street presence, but believe it could take a few months to put in place.