Reduced Opening Hours Now In Force At Southport Police Station

REDUCED OPENING HOURS NOW IN FORCE AT SOUTHPORT POLICE STATION

Southport Police Station’s Enquiry Office, until recently open 24 hours a day, from today sees opening hours reduced to 08.00 hrs to 22.00 hrs every day except Sunday when it closes at 17.00 hrs.

The cut in hours, agreed by Labour Police Commissioner Jane Kennedy, was due to come into force in April.  However staffing issues have meant that the change has been brought forward to 2^nd February,

Birkdale Lib Dem councillor Simon Shaw, a member of the Merseyside Police Panel which oversees the work of the Commissioner, commented:

“I’d rather have police officers out and about late at night or in the early hours, rather than sitting behind a counter waiting for a very small number of people who decide to visit Southport Police Station at such a time.

“As Southport Enquiry Office will remain open until 10pm at night (or 5pm on a Sunday) it still means that people out at work during the day have plenty of opportunity to call in personally if they need or want to.

“In practice these days most people contact the police by phone, either 999, or less urgently 101 or 0151 709 6010.  If someone phones any of those numbers, even at 3am in the morning, they will be answered.  Personally I thinks that is what really matters.

“The only concern I would have is if this were the start of a salami slicing process of repeated cuts in opening hours – for example shutting at 5pm on 7 days a week.  There’s no current suggestion that it is, but we all need to be vigilant to ensure that doesn’t happen.”

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