Tavistock Police Station closes to public

The Tavistock Police enquiry desk has now joined the long list of Devon & Cornwall closures. Thirty four stations have been affected by the cull in a bid to save £5 million over the next five years.

The enquiry office closed permanently yesterday due to financial reasons,dwindling use, and improvement in other communication channels.

The office was deemed no longer financially viable, as most people choose to report crimes and seek information by telephone or via the Devon & Cornwall Police website.

Commenting on the closures, acting Chief Constable Paul Netherton said: “Over the last 30 years we have seen a significant reduction in the number of people visiting a station enquiry office. As a result of this fall in demand, and the introduction of new and improved ways of accessing our services, we have carried out a review of our station enquiry offices. Nearly 90% of all crime is now reported via the telephone. Access to our force website, using mobile data devices, has increased significantly with over 60,000 hits last month alone.

“It is extremely rare for an emergency incident to be reported via a police station, any individual outside a station in an emergency situation will be dealt with immediately.”

What are your thoughts on the closure? Have you ever visited the enquiry desk? Will it be missed? Are these 'other communication channels' up to scratch?