Police stations were an integral part of the community but with more 600 station closures in the past eight years are towns, villages and cities suffering.
With cost-cutting strategies in place for police divisions across the UK, many of their beloved stations have now become obsolete to save costs by the government.
The additional savings have benefited some police forces with funding going towards resources helping the police to provide a more efficient service to the public. Despite the savings going towards police protection and other resources some communities have petitioned to stop the closures.
Many local residents miss the reassurance of having an accessible police station in close proximity with many protesting about their station closure.
One resident who runs the Unite & Uplift Academy in Birmingham, Zaf Mohammed, says: “There is a police station near my community project where people can go if they want help and advice but there is a concern in the community about wider closures across the region, especially with the crime rates going up.
“The police stations are seen as places of safety and the closures only encourage people behind acts of crime, who think that they can get away with it.
“It’s important that the stations remain open because we work with the police and want them to play a part in the community.”
Even though Police forces understand the concern of the public they have confirmed that many stations were under-occupied which incurred high running costs and maintenance.
Although station closures have helped with other police resources, walking past empty stations that were once buzzing with activity is very sad as many properties are now in disrepair.
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