As a result of Government budget cuts, Cumbria Constabulary needs to save £18.7million by 2015, and a further £1.6m by 2016, which is equivalent to a 20 per cent fall in income.
To achieve this, the Constabulary is conducting a series of reviews to identify savings and, where possible, protect policing in communities.
As part of this work, a review of Cumbria’s police estate is ongoing and every police station and office building is being reviewed to ensure it provides value for money and meets the requirements of local communities and Neighbourhood Policing Teams.
Some buildings will be upgraded, in other towns police will look at sharing premises with partner agencies and in some instances, if buildings are underused, the Police Authority will have to consider whether they should remain open. All options are being considered.
Examples of shared premises can already be seen working successfully in Carlisle city centre, where police officers and PCSOs share office space with Carlisle City Council in the Civic Centre, and in Sedbergh, where the local police and fire officers will begin sharing office space later this month. In Barrow the Neighbourhood Police team covering Central, Hindpool and Barrow Island are based within the Neighbourhood Management office in Dalton Road, working alongside Neighbourhood Wardens and Barrow Borough Council officers. Steve Robson, Neighbourhood Manager for Barrow Borough Council said "We're really pleased to have our Neighbourhood Police Team located at our office with us, it proves invaluable in working together, sharing information about what's happening in the community and developing joint solutions to community problems."
The review will consider the cost of running and maintaining each building and compare that to how it is being utilised by the community and local police officers and PCSOs. They will consider the size and age of the buildings, how many officers and staff work from each building, and how it is used by the community.
The Chairman of Cumbria Police Authority, Ray Cole, said: “The way Cumbria is policed has changed dramatically over recent years, and officers are no longer reliant upon static police buildings to conduct their role.
“Twenty or thirty years ago, members of the community would have to attend a police station to report an incident, produce documents or speak to an officer, but these days most people contact police via telephone or email.
“People no longer need to produce papers as often, as officers have access to databases that instantly provide insurance and registration details of vehicles and motorists. Officers can conduct paperwork and access police systems on the move and we have invested heavily in mobile working technology. Detectives can also interview people using mobile recording equipment.
“All of this means that the traditional view of a police station is no longer a reality. Officers spend the majority of their time in the community, leaving many of our buildings under-utilised, oversized and outdated.
“Consequently, it doesn’t make financial sense to keep investing in them, when the funds could be used to maintain our service to the community.
“We are looking closely at each building and working with local councils and the fire service to consider how we could share office space, and save money for all public services in Cumbria.
“The review is ongoing, and we expect to make decisions about the future of our estate in the Autumn.”
Chief Constable Craig Mackey added: “As a result of Government spending cuts, Cumbria Constabulary has to save £20.3million by 2016. To achieve this, we are conducting a series of reviews to identify savings and, where possible, protect policing in communities.
“We have already made significant savings by implementing a recruitment freeze, restructuring back office functions and changing the way we work, so we must now look at making the police estate more efficient, by ensuring that our buildings are fit for purpose and are being used to their full potential.
“There are difficult decisions to be made, but whatever happens, we will maintain a presence in your community. Police officers and PCSOs will continue patrolling every town and village, will be available to speak to face-to-face and will continue responding to community priorities and individual calls for service.
“Our ultimate aim is to provide the best policing service that we can afford so that Cumbria remains a safe place to live, work and visit.”
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