Ever remoter

(Continuing the police theme, the Daily Telegraph yesterday revealed that the retreat of the police is continuing.)

David Ruffley, the shadow policing minister, has obtained information which indicates that the process of closing police stations is continuing, at least at the rate of one a month. (A few are replaced by new stations, but the vast majority are not being replaced.) The true figure could be many more closing, because almost half of police forces refused to provide information.

When Labour came to power in 1997, there were 1,976 police stations in England and Wales, but there has been a net loss of 500 since then.

ACPO, the association of chief police officers, explain the closures as being from budgetary pressures.

The "local" station provides a presence in itself, and a base for officers working in the area. When offices are closed there is no obvious police presence in the area. Police working time is reduced because of the need to travel from and to remote offices.

We must believe the Home Office claims that they have spent much money on electronic means of contact with communities, but in the end it is physical presence which matters, and not merely officers flashing past in their cars. Too many communities have formed the impression that the police are remote, and it is difficult to get them out of their offices or their cars. They are just too remote, and unknown.