PPC Angus Macpherson: Old stations 'not fit for policing purpose'

It comes after the PCC was criticsed for the decision to sell the buildings, after a leaflet was circulated on social media showing 10 police stations in Wiltshire "for sale by informal tender".

Wiltshire Police announced in 2017 it was to close and sell ten underused police stations by 2021, with Wilton, Alderbury and Amesbury stations among those to be offloaded.

Since the closure of Salisbury's Wilton Road police station in June 2014 there have been two custody units in the county, one in Swindon and one in Melksham.

The leaflet

'These disposals are important'

Mr Macpherson says he has "always been clear" that police stations would only close once a suitable alternative had been arranged.

He said: “From extensive work with local area boards and town councils, we’ve provided local community sites for policing locations within various touchdown points such as Calne Leisure Centre, Malmesbury and Westbury Libraries to continue meeting operational and community policing requirements.

“Locations for sale have been identified for a number of years and, based on operational requirements and advice from the Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police, they are not fit for policing purpose".

He says that reducing the overall cost of the police estate frees up money to reinvest in improving facilities and "ensuring frontline staff have what they need to keep communities safe and operate effectively in the years ahead".

He says recent investments within the estate include "a complete refurbishment of Royal Wootton Basset station costing £600k last year; a new policing hub at the Tidworth Community Civic Centre, of which we’re contributing a third of the £7 million total and full renovations for a new police station in Warminster are expected to be complete by May this year and are likely require an investment of over £1.5 million".

Some had criticised the decision after the leaflet emerged, accusing Mr Macpherson of offloading the stations "in the very twilight of his tenure"

Mr Macpherson says this is not true, and that: “Sales of these sites are in the early stages of the process and unlikely to be near the disposal point by the end of my tenure.

"However, these disposals are important to the Medium Term Financial Strategy and to ensure that the estate is fit to support policing in the 21st Century.”

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