Waterside Station Enquiry office to close as PSNI seeks savings amid ‘unprecedented financial pressure’

The PSNI said the timescale for the closure is not yet clear but is likely to be within the next three months.

The ‘front counter’ at Richill Park is operated by a Station Enquiry Assistant (SEA), employed by a third party private sector contractor as part of a managed services contract.

The police service said the decision will represent ‘a significant financial saving and maximise the availability of officers for critical service provision within communities’.

Ten other offices will also close. These are in Belfast: Lisburn Road, Strand Town, Tennent Street and Woodbourne; Bangor, Banbridge, Magherafelt, Dungannon, Lisnaskea and Newtownabbey.

Assistant Chief Constable for Local Policing, Bobby Singleton said: “Last month the Chief Constable informed the Northern Ireland Policing Board that as a consequence of the current financial and resource pressures facing the Police Service, the decision has been taken to reduce the number of Station Enquiry Offices from 28 to 17.

“This decision follows an extensive review which included analysis of the volume and type of demand in enquiry offices. This review concluded that against the backdrop of wider resource challenges, the current service is neither sustainable nor effective.”

The PSNI currently operates 28 Enquiry Offices across the North. One of these sites, Musgrave Street in Belfast, operates 24/7 with Strand Road, Derry/Londonderry, opening for 76 hours per week and the remaining 26 sites opening for 40 hours per week.

ACC Singleton said: “This is not a decision we have taken lightly and we are conscious there may be an actual or perceived loss of accessibility, visibility and ability to respond to the needs of the community. However, the PSNI is facing unprecedented financial pressure and savings are necessary to deliver a sustainable and effective organisation.

“The Chief Constable has been clear for some time that difficult decisions are going to have to be taken. The Police Service is shrinking and as a result, the level of service the public can expect to see is going to change.

“It is important to emphasise that these are not station closures. Police Officers and staff will continue to serve the community from these locations.

"Our analysis shows that even with the reduced arrangement over 90% of households in Northern Ireland will be within 15 miles of a station Enquiry Office. The average household is 10.7 miles from their nearest office (an increase of 4 miles) or 18.5 minutes by car (an increase of 1.5 minutes).”

“The need for clarity and transparency on this issue is paramount. We want to be clear with the public about the challenges we are facing and the type of Service they can expect to see in the coming years.”

The Waterside police station will continue to operate as normal otherwise.

A new £15m custody suite in the Waterside was recently unveiled. The facility is expected to handle up to 500 detained persons a month and is a huge advance on existing cell provision in the city, Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said last December.

Courthouse and custody suite closures have affected access to justice senior lawyer tells MLAs