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Police enquiry desks to close

www.gmp.police.uk

28 September 2011

A comprehensive review undertaken by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and Greater Manchester Police Authority (GMPA) has revealed a dramatic fall in the number of people visiting police enquiry counters.

The review is part of a wider public consultation exercise involving more than 2,500 people to help shape public access to police services in the future.

It is also supports the work the Force is doing to make savings of £134 million by 2015.

Analysis shows that the Force can continue to meet public demand with fewer enquiry counters. The proposal is to keep 22 of the 55 enquiry counters open. These are the busiest and their hours would be tailored in line with customer demand and would save the Force nearly £1.5 million.

The Force is today (Monday 26 September 2011) entering into a formal 90-day statutory consultation period with staff and UNISON about the proposal.

Assistant Chief Constable, Garry Shewan said: "What we want to do is provide the very best access to our services in a way that are fit for the future and consider the current financial situation. This means we have to make best use of the resources we have and work in different ways by putting resources where they have the biggest impact.”

The proposal follows analysis of the number of people using public enquiry counters and takes into consideration the results of a public consultation exercise on-line, face-to-face and at public meetings.

The analysis also showed that the number of visits had fallen by almost half since similar research was undertaken in 2009, from 1,039,721 down to 532,320.
It also revealed that nearly half of visitors to enquiry counters are generated by the organisation itself through appointments.

This means that enquiry counters are very expensive to run with the cost ranging from £6.38 up to £100.40 per customer, with an average cost per visitor being £14.11.

The majority of people (76 per cent) from the public consultation exercise who had contacted the police in the last five years had done so by telephone.

Mr Shewan adds: "We remain committed to developing a service that can provide access to Greater Manchester Police in the most appropriate way possible and we still welcome your views in shaping future access.

“Neighbourhood Policing remains at the heart of what we do and we will continue to provide contact locally with officers at neighbourhood meetings and surgeries, arranging appointments and getting in touch by telephone, email or through social networks.”

The introduction of new technology, developments in neighbourhood policing and the changing way people do business in the modern world have led to a change in how people can now access police services.

GMP has invested in neighbourhood policing teams and Police Community Support Officers and created customer service desks to keep people informed.

Cllr Paul Murphy, GMPA Chairman, said: “It is essential that we modernise the way the Force works in order to make best use of the resources we have available and focus them in the most effective and efficient way. Not only will these proposals help us meet the financial challenges ahead, but also enable us to provide a quality, fit-for-purpose and value for money police service to the communities of Greater Manchester.

“I would like to emphasise that this is not about withdrawing from communities. Neighbourhood policing is still very much at the heart of what we do and we will continue to support the Force in embedding local officers within our neighbourhoods, ensuring communities know who their local officers are and how to contact them.

“We will continue to listen to the views of our communities as we shape the future delivery of policing in Greater Manchester.”