Proposals to close Co Down police stations

Chief Inpsector Deirdre Bones, Down police area commander, is seeking views from residents in Ballynahinch and Saintfield on a proposal to close these police stations.

Commander Bones said: “A final decision has not been made. However, people will be aware we have been carrying out a major review of police buildings across C District which includes North Down, Ards, Castlereagh and Down.

 “As part of that review, I have had to look very closely at all of the stations in my Area, including Ballynahinch and Saintfield to ensure we are using all of our resources, including buildings, in the most effective and efficient way to ensure we provide the best possible personnel, professional and protective policing service to the people of Northern Ireland.

 “In Northern Ireland we have a pattern of police stations unlike any other part of the United Kingdom. The current police estate remains 70 per cent bigger in comparison to other UK police services of comparable size. It reflects the demands of a very different era in policing.

“Our aim is, policing should be a part of the local community. However, underused buildings will not achieve this, investment in police officers and staff working in the local community will. Our Neighbourhood Policing Teams are working with their local communities, identifying and working to resolve the issues which matter to local people.

“Overall levels of reported crime in Northern Ireland are at 12-year low. This reduction has been delivered by the public working in partnership with police officers, not by police buildings.

“The public are increasingly engaging with Police in different ways, from online reporting of non-emergency and hate crimes to contacting local Neighbourhood Policing Teams directly through telephone numbers provided on our website.

“As a result of people increasingly using these alternative means to interact with police, fewer people are visiting or using police stations.

“The introduction of BlackBerry smart phones which have now been distributed to over 4,000 front line police officers, also reduced the need for officers to return to a police station to complete administrative tasks. This has already increased the amount of patrol time per officer by over 15 per cent, meaning an extra hour per officer, per shift is spent on the street, in the community they serve.

“As with all other UK police services and publicly funded bodies, the PSNI has undertaken to deliver £135 million in efficiency savings back to the government over the next four years. As part of our agreed plan to deliver these savings, which was previously submitted to the Northern Ireland Policing Board, we must deliver a £2.2 million saving in the estate baseline budget in order to protect front line staff and services. This means we cannot continue to fund the current size of our police estate.

“My command team and I are committed to listening to people in the communities we serve. I assure you that a decision to recommend the closure of a station is not taken lightly. I can understand that some may take comfort in having a police station nearby. However, modern policing is about people, not buildings.”

Commander Bones added: “I want to have a constructive debate with the people of Saintfield and Ballynahinch about the way forward. I want to talk about how policing is currently delivered and how it would continue to be delivered if police stations are closed.

 “I encourage everyone with an interest in or influence on policing to participate in the debate. I am leading this consultation and you can email me on deirdre.bones@psni.pnn.police.uk. In the weeks ahead, we will inform you of opportunities to share your views.”

 Rowallene District Councillor, William Walker, expressed his views on the closures of the police stations saying “Ballynahinch is in itself a significant area and I do not believe it should be closed. There will be no stations between Downpatrick and Newtownards, Newcastle and Lisburn, and Newcastle and Downpatrick.

 “It will be an open season for the criminals of this area. We need to have a strong police presence and certainly the mobile police unit would be of great benefit. I think that the funds raised from the sale of these police stations should be used to buy another mobile unit.

 “There are groups such as the elderly who feel vulnerable and a high public prescience is reassuring. We found this in Killyleagh and Crossgar when the stations there closed and the mobile unit did visit the communities.”