Police station under threat

Oct 13 2011 by Marjorie Kerr, West Lothian Courier

A COMMUNITY have vowed to “put up a good fight” over plans to close their village’s police station.

Police have unveiled proposals which could lead to the closure of their office in Mid Calder, as part of a review by theLothian and Borders force.

But members of the community say they will battle to make sure the building is kept open.

Villagers are worried that if police move out of Mid Calder, they will see a return of the gangs who plagued their streets and prompted a police dispersal order in December 2005.

And the community council say they will lead a campaign to ensure a police presence is kept in their village.

A spokesperson for the group said: “People are devastated and dumbfounded by this.

“We have the community police officers for Mid Calder, Craigshill and East Calder, operating from our police station.

“There is a large, elderly population in Mid Calder and it’s a great reassurance to them to see police officers around the place.

“Everybody knows there have been problems with youth disorder here in the past and if they take away the station and our community policeman, it will be as bad as ever.

“We are going to discuss this at our meeting on Thursday and if need be, we will call a public meeting.

“We will certainly make sure that we put up a good fight against this.”

Police were set to discuss the possible closure at their strategy meeting yesterday (Wednesday), along with a change to the opening hours at Broxburn Police Station.

The area’s MP, Graeme Morrice, said he was shocked by the proposals.

And he has asked the chief constable of Lothian and Borders Police for full details of the changes that are being discussed.

He said: “I am opposed to the proposal to shut Mid Calder police station and reduce the opening hours at the Broxburn station.

“This reduction in service to the public is completely unacceptable for the communities that would be affected.

“I have written to the chief constable to express my concerns about this issue and request further information on the proposed changes.”

His view is shared by Mid Calder’s councillor Willie Dunn, who said he was alarmed by the proposal.

He said: “I think this is shocking.

“The police station has served the community very well and has been needed to deal with incidents of youth disorder.

“It may be that it’s a victim of its own success because of a decrease in crime figures.”

Fellow councillor Dave King also said he was opposed to any loss of police service in the village.

“As far as I am concerned, the police station should never close,” he said.

“They are also talking about implementing a 9am to 5pm service in Broxburn, which is where the main police station for our area is located.

“This seems totally unacceptable to me.”

However, Councillor Carl John said the financial constraints of keeping the station open may be too high for the police.

He said: “I believe that the police station building is getting to the stage where it is no longer able to meet requirements in terms of facilities like toilets.

“Financially it comes down to whether we have a police station or a policeman, I would rather that we have a policeman, but I know people are concerned about us losing the facility here.”

However, police say that no firm decisions have been made on any changes to the service and a review is ongoing.

A police spokesperson said: “Lothian and Borders Police are currently conducting a review of our force estate and front counter provisions.

“This review is part of our ongoing commitment to ensure we can provide an effective, accessible and efficient service to communities throughout a challenging economic climate.

“These proposals are expected to be presented at the next Lothian and Borders Police Board for further consideration.”