PSNI COMMANDERS will tomorrow ask the North’s policing board to endorse their proposals to close and dispose of 26 police stations throughout Northern Ireland.
Their proposals are part of a plan that could see more than 40 of the North’s 108 police stations shut down by 2012.
Some unionist politicians have expressed fears that the closures could make it easier for dissident republicans to operate while Sinn Féin has insisted that the closures are necessary and pragmatic.
PSNI chief constable Sir Hugh Orde can unilaterally take the decision to close the 26 stations as it is an operational matter but the police require permission from the board to sell the properties.
Of the 26 stations, 20 already are effectively closed, according to the police and the board. Five have limited opening, which means they open occasionally, while only one, Bessbrook in Co Armagh, is fully operational.
Stations marked for closure include Loughgall, Claudy, Markethill, Newtownbutler, Kesh, Pomeroy, Toomebridge, Bellaghy, Newtownstewart and Mount Pottinger in east Belfast. There will be a subsequent review of a further 26 stations and while not all of these face closure, quite a number of them are likely to be shut down by 2012.
“These stations are not the face of modern policing. They don’t deliver proper policing and such is the state of some of these stations that there are serious health and safety issues involved,” said a policing board source yesterday.
The PSNI has the greatest amount of real estate of any of the police forces in the UK. This is mainly due to the Troubles when British soldiers frequently were also based in many police stations.
Police commanders argue that closing the stations would free up more officers for frontline duty as well as saving millions of pounds in upkeep and rates. They also contend that there is no need for so many stations because the number of police officers has reduced from 13,500 over the past 10 years to 7,500 officers now.
It appears that any money accrued from the sale of stations would go back to the British treasury. Due to the recession the value of these properties is considerably lower than it was two years ago.
