Police will close enquiry counters

COUNTER CLOSURE . . .Chadderton Police station on Broadgate.

CHADDERTON Police Station's public enquiry counter is to close, GMP chiefs have confirmed.

The Chronicle revealed in August how the desk at the Broadgate station was part of a consultation run by Greater Manchester Police as they sought to learn how the public contact the force and provide the most effective service possible.

Ten of GMP's 22 public enquiry counters where public demand is the lowest were considered and from February 27, all 10 will close. As well as Chadderton, these include Altrincham, Fred Perry House in Stockport, Horwich, Hyde, Leigh, Middleton, Pendleton, Whitefield and Wythenshawe.

Officer numbers will not change in any of these areas, and the stations will still be used as a base for GMP staff and officers.

Members of the public will still be able to visit the police station for pre-arranged appointments and neighbourhood meetings will continue to take place.

Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts said: "We've worked extremely closely with the people of Greater Manchester while making these decisions, including a full, month-long public consultation and meetings with key communities. We've also looked at the current service provision in great detail, analysing what we can do to continue to allocate resources appropriately.

"We are transforming policing in Greater Manchester and these changes will help us focus on meeting demand that already exists. We need people's continued support as we make changes to ensure we are focused on keeping people safe and providing the best service possible.

"While counters are being used less and less, we are looking at new ways for people to contact us, including plans for a transformed website that directs people to relevant partner agencies depending on the reason for the visit and a new online chat facility that means people will soon be able to communicate with GMP in real time via the internet.

"In addition, GMP will provide access to an online loss reporting system where members of the public can report any lost property online. Such systems are insurance industry recognised, provide users with a lost property reference number and have seen significant improvements in the success rate for reuniting property with its original owner.

"These changes are a crucial step in ensuring our services match the needs of the people."

The review found that the 10 counters generated just 18 per cent of demand across the whole of Greater Manchester. Some, such as the counter at Horwich Police Station, saw as little as one member of the public attending per day during the review.

Demand at Chadderton was among the lowest in Greater Manchester with an average of two people visiting per day.

More than two thousand people responded to GMP's survey on how they access services, with just 10 per cent saying they had been to a public enquiry counter in the last 10 years but half of respondents (50 per cent) said they had looked at GMP's website or contacted them online.

A planning application to change the layout of the Chadderton building has been submitted to Oldham Council.

The application proposes the demolition and re-building of the existing single-storey rear element of the station, extending the area north and providing an additional wing of office accommodation at first-floor level.