Merseyside Police’s Commissioner is asking people to have their say on her £130m plans to modernise and transform police stations across the region.
Over the next 10 years, the £130million plan will provide community police stations for each neighbourhood, fund a new serious and organised crime centre and save £2.5million every year on the cost of running the present police estate – protecting 65 police officer posts each year.
Jane is now asking people to give her their views. During the two-month consultation period, the Commissioner will be holding at least two public meeting in each local authority area, where she will answer people’s questions alongside representatives of Merseyside Police.
She is also holding community road shows across the region and is asking people to share their views online - TAKE PART HERE
The Commissioner’s 10-year plan was launched on Wednesday (October 1st, 2014) and outlines her proposals to provide community police stations for each neighbourhood, save money and protect Merseyside Police jobs.
Jane said: “It is really important that I hear the views of people across Merseyside on these proposals. That is why I will be travelling around the region, asking the public in every policing neighbourhood to have their say.
“These proposals are all about ensuring officers and PCSOs remain at the heart of their communities. The Chief Constable and I want our neighbourhood teams to be more visible and more accessible, because we know that is what the people of Merseyside want.
“These proposals will give neighbourhood teams better facilities in better locations so they can continue to keep Merseyside one of the safest places in the country to live, work and visit.
“It will also save £2.5m every year on the cost of running the current estate – that means protecting 65 police officer jobs.”
WATCH WHY THIS IS SO IMPORTANT
Merseyside Police’s estate currently consists of 78 buildings, with an average age of 52 years and some dating as far back as 1890. The last police station built on Merseyside was the station on Stanley Road, Kirkdale, back in the seventies.
By replacing inefficient and expensive old police stations with new Community Police Stations, the Commissioner intends to reduce the running costs from more than £12m every year to £9.5m, protecting more frontline police jobs.
Community Police Stations have already proved a huge success in St Helens, reducing anti-social behaviour and improving relationships with the public. The intention is to roll this model out across the region, providing modern facilities which are regularly open to local people.
The proposals also include plans to provide new or refurbished area headquarters in each of the five local authority areas and create a new centre designed to tackle serious and organised crime in Speke. The new £44million Operational Command Centre will bring together all the teams that form the Matrix Serious and Organised Crime team (MSoC) under one roof.
It also includes investing £26million to make essential repairs and refurbish Merseyside Police Headquarters in Canning Place.
For more information and to have your say, please visit www.takingtherightsteps.com