THE public could soon meet their local bobbies in supermarkets rather than at the nearest police station as the force tries to make further savings with its dwindling budget.

Crime commissioner Anthony Stansfeld told the Oxford Mail yesterday that the force was getting rid of wasted space and thinking of smarter ways to deal with the public.

Oxford Mail:

Crime commissioner Anthony Stansfeld

Thames Valley Police has already been selling buildings and ending leases to keep officers on the front line in the face of deeper spending cuts.

Although no further station closures were announced yesterday, Mr Stansfeld said: “There is a misconception that people love their local police station but when you actually look at it, four or five people have actually visited it in the last week and three of them were about lost property.

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“The footprint in police stations is extraordinarily small and it is taking up staff that could be far better used elsewhere.”

He added: “Getting our property right and making it really efficient is absolutely essential to keeping police on the frontline.”

He said neighbourhood police could set up in libraries and supermarkets at scheduled times to meet the public rather than keeping a counter open all week.

He said: “I think far more people are likely to give you intelligence in a supermarket than they are by traipsing to a police station.”

The force has shut police stations and offices across the county and scaled back opening hours. Kidlington police station has been closed to save £26,000 every year and replacements are to be found for Chipping Norton and Wallingford police stations to save £69,000 a year.

The sale of Wantage and Woodstock police stations are expected to save £101,000, and in Oxford, the Wood Farm office has been shut and a Banbury Road base is due to close to save £43,000.

As previously reported, a police station in Greyhound Lane, Thame is being sold off for housing, while the lease on a police building in Henley is coming to an end.

But the force is planning to open more neighbourhood offices to accompany housing developments in Didcot, Wantage, Banbury and Bicester. A new office will also be created in Oxford’s Northern Gateway development.

Since 2011, Thames Valley Police has cut £58.9m from its budget but is now facing a cut of £44.6m over the next three years.

Deputy Chief Constable Francis Habgood said sales of property across the force would make £17m and cut spending by £1.9m a year by 2019. He said the property overhaul had been prompted by the need to make spending cuts and new technology which allowed police to do their jobs on the move, rather than return to a station to view case files.

He said the force was in talks to share space with fire and rescue services and had already made savings by sharing with health and social services staff at Cowley police station.

But he said the move would not hit the public’s contact with the police and response times.

He said: “It is being more efficient and more effective.

“Police stations are getting less important in terms of public contact.”

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