West Mercia Police said on Monday that it was looking to reduce the opening hours of front desks at police stations in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, with them remaining closed on Sundays and Mondays.
The plans released on Monday showed that in Shrewsbury, Hereford, Telford and Worcester, the front desks would open from 9am to 5pm from Tuesday to Saturday, with the front desk closed on a Sunday, Monday and bank holiday.
West Mercia Police said this was due to more people communicating with the police online.
However, the survey has since been removed and West Mercia Police have provided the following update:
We launched a public consultation to seek community views on the force’s front counter services on Monday 11 October.
Following feedback from stakeholders as part of that consultation process, we have temporarily withdrawn the survey to make some revisions and factor in some additional considerations. We will update you as to when it will be republished.
Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Jones said: “It really important to us that we hear directly from our communities on proposed service changes, so we are able to make informed decisions.
“As part of the consultation process, we are also listening to the views of stakeholders and partners including the Police and Crime Commissioner, and are taking their views and concerns into consideration.
“We know the ways in which our communities contact and engage with us has changed, with more people using the phone or digital channels and reductions in people physically coming to police buildings.
“We need to ensure we adapt to public need accordingly and are therefore looking at a number of proposals and mechanisms to ensure we meet the differing needs of our diverse communities.
“I want to reassure people, that the current proposal would see the force retain all six of its front counters with only a slight reduction in opening hours. It does not propose to change the services provided by front counter staff, or police officer numbers within the community.”
