Chairman Keith Jervis: “The move to working jointly with the Fire and Rescue service leaves me with many concerns. The property is simply not big enough to accommodate the cars and staff… it is not fit for purpose.”
Staffordshire Police Federation Chairman Keith Jervis has raised concerns over a planned move for officers following the sale of the purpose built Hanley Police Station.
In a statement form Staffordshire Police, Chief Constable Gareth Morgan confirmed that the Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire and Rescue and Crime, Matthew Ellis, has made the decision that Hanley’s Police and Fire and Rescue services will be brought together at a shared Hanley building. CC Morgan said that the decision “will help to maximise the use of public assets whilst ensuring that service delivery is not compromised for either service or the communities they serve.”
However, Keith has raised a number of concerns over this, in particular the building not being fit for purpose in terms of size and location.
He said: “The move to working jointly with the Fire and Rescue service leaves me with many concerns. The property is simply not big enough to accommodate the cars and staff and it’s yet another building we will have to rent space in rather than own, as we do Hanley Police Station.
“The key points are to remember with this decision is that response officers are moving from a building which, although may have required some refurbishment, was fit for purpose, to one which is not fit for purpose in terms of its size, parking and location – this new building backs on to OAP housing and response officers will be coming and going 24/7.
“The public and staff associations have seen no business case which makes this a value for money proposition for the communities of North Staffordshire.
“Tax payers should have the right to know the cost of One Smithfield, the cost of the current Hanley Police Station and the cost in moving to Hanley Fire Station.
Keith also raised concerns for the negative effects this move could potentially have on police officers in Staffordshire. He continued: “I spoke to Matthew Ellis when he became PfCC , and his objectives were to reduce demand on the Police, deal with the burden of mental health demand which affects the Police, preserve the number of front line officers and look after the finances..
“But what is the reality? A Force which at its peak had about 2,400 officers cut down to around 1,700 where we struggle day after day to cope with demand.
“Magical mobile data devices which would keep officers out there on the streets having very limited time savings.
“And now we see Police stations being put up for sale to raise capital revenue, and officers having to move into unsuitable rented buildings.”
