Crewe Police Station helpdesk to remain open as Nantwich hours reduced
The helpdesk at Crewe Police Station is set to remain open - following a consultation exercise aiming to improve the public's accessibility the Cheshire Constabulary.
Cheshire Constabulary revealed on Friday (July 1), that facilities at Civic Centre, Crewe, alongside Macclesfield, Warrington and Widnes will remain open with opening hours of 8am-5pm, Monday to Saturday.
Cheshire Constabulary say these are the times that the public have chosen to access them in recent years.
The police helpdesk in Nantwich will be reduced alongside Chester Town Hall, Congleton, Ellesmere Port, Knutsford, Penketh, Runcorn, Stockton Heath, Winsford and Wilmslow.
The public requiring a face-to-face service in Nantwich will be diverted to the Crewe helpdesk.
These changes come after Cheshire Constabulary agreed to boost its resources in the Force Control Centre.
The shift is being made in response to the changing demands of how residents prefer to get in touch with the police.
Cheshire Constabulary say the vast majority prefer the convenience of reporting incidents through the non-emergency 101 phone number, or via the website, with victims of crime now being given direct contact details for officers dealing with their incident for updates.
The Force Control Centre handles 101 calls and online submissions.
It is being bolstered in attempt to respond more quickly and provide a better service to the public.
These changes follow a six-week public consultation exercise conducted earlier this year.
The helpdesk service is being streamlined to make way for these 'improvements.'
There will be a contact point telephone on the outside of each Police building to contact the constabulary for support.
Each site will also benefit from an additional weekly neighbourhood policing team surgery open for access at the Police station, so the local officers can be seen directly by the public.
Assistant Chief Constable Bill Dutton, Head of Local Policing and Operations, said: "Helpdesks have played an important role in policing, and we know that for many people they have been an important interface between ourselves and the public.
"However, how people want to contact us has changed over the years.
"With advancements in technology allowing us greater choice and convenience, it's little wonder that the public much prefer to speak to us via their mobile phones or landlines or contact us through our website.
"Over the last couple of years we have seen an increased volume of calls to us and we are unable to answer them as quickly as I would like.
"These changes will allow us to improve these methods of contact, allowing us to answer phones and deploy officers more quickly than before – helping us to achieve our aim of providing the best police service in the country.
"It's important to stress that we are not closing police stations as we have seen in other areas of the country, and police officers and our PCSOs will remain very much in the heart of our communities.
"Those who would still prefer face to face contact have the option of attending one of our weekly PCSO surgeries."
Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire John Dwyer said: "Improving public contact with the police is a key part of my Police and Crime Plan.
"People consistently tell me that they want the police to use resources more efficiently and be more contactable via 101.
"These changes to helpdesks will allow us to invest even more in our force control room and phone operators.
"Previous investment has already brought 101 waiting times down and an improvement in 999 answer times, so we know this approach works and delivers what people expect.
"I know from my 30-year career as a police officer about the value of face-to-face contact. In that time, I also saw a huge change in how people wanted to interact with their police service.
"Ensuring weekly PCSO surgeries will enable us to maintain valuable face to face contact while also improving all the other ways in which people contact the police."
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