Calls for police station counter to re-open rejected

Calls for a police station in Blackpool to re-open to the public have been rejected despite claims it means a large part of the town has no nearby access to face-to-face policing.

Norbreck councillor Julie Sloman had written to Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw asking him to reconsider the closure of the front counter at Bispham Police Station.

But he has said budget cuts mean the counter – which has been closed since around 2018 – cannot re-open. Coun Sloman said she was “hugely disappointed” but would continue to campaign.

She added: “I don’t think opening a station that is operational just for a couple of hours a week is going to impact massively on the police budget. Even if it was manned by civilian staff it would give a face to face point of contact – at a specific time and a specific place.”

In a letter to Mr Grunshaw she said Bispham was the only police station between the main Blackpool headquarters at Gerry Richardson Way in Marton and the police station in Fleetwood, apart from a counter at the council’s Municipal Buildings on Corporation Street.

She said elderly people in the north of the town were “reticent to report crime, or seek advice via emails or phone calls” and many residents felt “services are unevenly apportioned across the town.”

Mr Grunshaw said cuts to the police budget meant “tough choices” had had to be made in the past.

He said: “Consequently, Bispham was one of the front counters that closed more than six years ago in order to maintain a proactive policing service that effectively tackled crime and ensured officers could be there when people needed them.

 “The Blackpool area remains one of three in the county that has more than one front counter, and whilst I keep the front counter provision under scrutiny, supporting the Chief Constable with the resources needed to keep people safe, there are currently no plans to reopen any further front counters services.

“Through my Police and Crime Plan, I aim to deliver the most efficient police force that we possibly can, rebuilding neighbourhood policing with more bobbies on the beat and tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, all whilst delivering value for money.”