Police Scotland plan to close 17 Police Stations in and around Glasgow in controversial consultations

Police Scotland are planning to shut down 17 existing Police stations across the west of Scotland - including some in and around the immediate vicinity of Glasgow.

The motive behind the closures is a cost-saving measure as Police Scotland face budget cuts, although they claim that a lot of the old stations are no longer 'fit for purpose' for modern policing.

The west of Scotland is set to lose the most police stations if consultations are successful - a total of 17 stations could be lost, as compared to 8 in the north of Scotland and 3 in the east of Scotland.

Currently Police Scotland are housed in 329 buildings across the country - 100+ of which are in pretty poor condition and are continuing to deteriorate, on top of that around 200+ are over 40 years old and are approaching their 'end of life'.

A number of factors were taken into account when deciding which stations to be disposed of - foremost of which were local demand and where 'local resources could be located to continue to provide policing services.'

Police Stations have fallen out of use by the public as well, claim Police Scotland, who receive more reports of crime over the phone - rather than people coming in to the station to report a crime in person.

On the Police Scotland website it reads: "At the heart of our proposal is the desire to meet the needs of our communities and ensure that we have our staff located in the right locations. The review of the Police Scotland estate was conducted to ensure that the estate is fit for purpose and reflects the changing nature of policing and can support service delivery to local communities.

"That being said, hard choices are being taken to deliver effective policing within the revenue budget available to us and we are now accelerating plans to dispose of a number of police stations across the country.

"In a challenging financial time we have to give consideration to reducing unnecessary expenditure. The majority of the stations being considered for disposal are not fit for purpose and have significant running costs. This is not a sustainable position."

Police Scotland insist that a presence will still be maintained in communities affected through officers on patrol and responding to 'community needs.'

The full list of police stations facing closure in the west of Scotland include:

• Castlemilk
• Ballieston
• Ayr King Street
• Kilwinning
• Saracen 
• Kilsyth
• Carluke
• Port Glasgow
• Greenock
• Paisley
• Ferguslie Park
• Oban
• Dalmally
• Milngavie
• Bishopbriggs
• Stewart Street
• Gorbals 

The move by Police Scotland has been met with some controversy as community members affected worry about a loss of policing in the area. Scottish Labour believes closing the stations without replacement sites being ready will 'hinder police logistics and operations in the area.'

Scottish Labour councillors in East Dunbartonshire are urging Police Scotland to halt any plans to close the police stations in Milngavie and Bishopbriggs until they can provide agreed alternative locations for both stations.

At East Dunbartonshire's Policy and Resources committee meeting on March 14, Scottish Labour Councillor, Alan Moir, put forward an amendment calling for the closures to be paused. The amendment received cross-party support and consensus from councillors across the chamber.

Labour councillor for Bishopbriggs South, Alan Moir, said: "We cannot allow these police station closures to go ahead without clear alternative provisions in place first. Removing these vital community resources without replacement sites ready will only serve to undermine police effectiveness and stretch resources at a time when budgets are tight and officer numbers are at their lowest levels in decade. 

The proposed closures come as Police Scotland faces tough funding challenges from the Scottish Government's budget settlements. Labour argues that pushing ahead with the closures risks further degrading local policing at a time when strong community links and neighbourhood presence is needed most.”.