Worcester Police Station front counter to close on Sundays

In changes coming next month, the front counter at the police station in Castle Street in Worcester will close to the public on Sundays.

Opening hours across the week will also be reduced with similar changes happening at front counters across West Mercia.

EXASPERATION: Cllr Richard Udall said he was particularly concerned about the impact of the Sunday closure on the victims of attacks and domestic violence from the night before or early hours of Sunday morning now the front counter of Worcester Police Station is expected to close on Sundays (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

Cllr Richard Udall, the Labour St John's city and county councillor and the county's lead member for crime and disorder, said: “This announcement is a sad reflection of the times, over the past 13 years we have seen cuts and more cuts to emergency services.

"It’s a well-known fact, criminals also work on Sundays.  Therefore the counters at police stations should also remain accessible on Sundays.  The public need the assurance that they can go to a police station to seek help, advice, report a crime or to give statements.

"The police are working under increasing pressure, they are required to deliver more with less.

"A lot of attacks, especially on women take place on Saturday night and are not reported until Sunday morning. They would need a private place to go in order to report such an attack."

The counter may be the first port of call for reporting a crime and is where sex offenders go to sign the register so the police can more effectively monitor their behaviour and protect the public.

The counter is now open seven days a week - 8am to 4.30pm on Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday (open 57 hours a week).

From December 1 the counter will be open 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and closed on Sunday (open 48 hours per week).

CHANGES: The front counter of Worcester Police Station may be the first port of call for people who want to report a crime but changes will mean it is not open on Sundays after December 1 (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

However, in a shake-up of opening hours the front counter will no longer be manned seven days a week, sparking criticism from the leader of Worcester City Council and the West Mercia Police Federation.

We have previously reported how the front counter was closed on weekdays in March (when Worcester residents were told they had to go to Kidderminster for their nearest counter) and again in May.

RECOMMENDED READING: Worcester Police Station front counter is closed yet again

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Critics say police officers are being taken away from frontline duties to open front counters which had previously been manned by civilian staff.

FLASHBACK: A sign that appeared in the window of the front counter in March telling Worcester residents their nearest public counter was in Kidderminster - around 15 miles away (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

The counter will remain open on Saturdays but we have been told by a source that it will be police officers, not enquiries officers (civilian staff), who man the counter on Saturdays, removing them from operational duties.  

FLASHBACK: This sign appeared at Worcester Police Station in May telling the public the front counter would be closed for three consecutive days with the nearest public police counters in Redditch and Kidderminster (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

Pete Nightingale of the Police Federation said: "Over a period of time we have had a reduction in the service provided by our front counter police staff due to cost restraints.

"This has resulted in police officers being abstracted from their operational roles to staff the front counter.

"Whilst we understand technological advances, we also know that a lot of the public like to have accessible front counters. 

"Increasing police officer numbers is welcome but having police officers fulfilling roles that has been previously carried out by civilian staff is just a way of ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’."

Cllr Lynn Denham, joint leader of Worcester City Council, said: "This is a further sad reduction in our public services.  Not everyone can go online, particularly if their phone has just been stolen. 

"People who have suffered from a crime need to have the option to talk to the local police service. 

"We know that crime is under reported and under investigated and that too much criminal behaviour goes unchallenged."  

Chief Superintendent Edd Williams, of West Mercia Police, said: “From Friday, December 1 we will be changing the opening times of the front counters at all police stations across the three counties we cover, Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire.

“We’ve carried out research as to when and how the public use our front counters. We found that most people visit front counters between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday, and so we’re focusing our resources on those times to ensure that we can deliver the best possible service.

“For those unable to visit during the week, counters will be open between 9am – 5pm on Saturdays too, where officers will be on hand to help with enquiries and take reports of crime.

“Our website is available 24/7 and often offers the quickest and easiest way to contact us about non-urgent issues. You can report crimes, tell us about something you’ve seen or heard, request updates on an investigation, apply for various licenses and much more.

“In an emergency you should always dial 999.”