OKEHAMPTON Police Station is one of 34 stations to close across Devon and Cornwall in the next five years due to budget cuts — less than a year after reassurances that it would remain open.

Devon and Cornwall Police are planning to close Okehampton Police Station in 2018/2019.

The announcement comes less than a year after the chief constable of Devon and Cornwall Police Shaun Sawyer gave assur-ances as far as he could that the station would remain open for the foreseeable future after the closure of the town’s police public enquiry office on November 1 2014.

Speaking on a special BBC Radio Devon broadcast in Hatherleigh last November, the chief constable said Okehampton was ‘key geographically, it’s key to the moor and to public safety. It’s actually quite a big town to be maintained. I cannot see us moving out of there in terms of a presence’.

After the closure all that remains will be a neighbourhood team base with a locker room, access to welfare facilities including a toilet, shower and kitchen, a small quiet room for informal interviews, an office with IT provision enabling access to the force’s network and a designated car parking space.

Where possible, these facilities will be co-located in a public sector partnership building. Okehampton’s neighbourhood team will deploy from that base.

Town mayor Paul Vachon has been vocal in the past about how damaging relentless budgetary cuts are on rural policing.

In December 2014, he criticised the Government for continually slashing police budgets and wrote an open letter to Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg on how policing was being affected by financial restraints.

He said: ‘It is very disappointing news. We had had assurances from the inspector recently that the force was very keen to stay at the station.

‘You have to wonder what sort of coverage we’ll be left with in Okehampton. I know people here will be dreadfully disappointed at the decision.

‘Over the last few years the police presence in Okehampton has gone down and down. I think the town has suffered somewhat as a result, This will hardly improve things.

‘I’ve always felt that Okehampton Police Station is too big for their needs and what they do there. Having said that, they could have found smaller premises.

‘It depends on the nature of the neighbourhood team base on whether or not it will be adequate. The council needs to have a dialogue with Devon and Cornwall Police to see exactly how things will work.’

Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer said: ‘As a force we face challenging budget reductions set by the government and the subsequent need to reduce our workforce over the next four years.

‘It is only right that we review our estates and only keep those buildings that are not in need of significant modernisation and those needed to ensure we can continue to deliver a professional police service.

‘We are planning for the future by dispensing with buildings which are costly in terms of maintenance while investing in newer and more efficient premises where needed.

‘We are not removing ourselves from our communities, we are being more efficient and organised around where we base our people to ensure we continue to deliver the best service we can. Police officers and staff solve crime and keep our communities safe, not buildings.

‘The vast majority of frontline officers already spend their time out in communities either responding to incidents or engaging with the public.

‘Our police stations are primarily used as a base for officers to work where they can carry out administrative duties, receive briefings and access welfare and hygiene facilities.’

Devon and Cornwall Police has announced plans to close police stations and offices across the two counties in the next five years as the force strives to save £29-million from its current budget. The closures or lease surrenders would make revenue savings of at least £1.053-million a year.

Devon and Cornwall’s Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg is currently preparing to launch a public consultation about how much people would be prepared to pay towards policing through their council tax.

The chief constable is also planning to ask the public about the nature of policing delivery in the future.

l What are your thoughts on the impending closure of Okehampton Police Station? Write us an e-mail at timesletters @tindlenews.co.uk or send a letter to Okehampton Times, The Ockment Centre, North Street, Okehampton, EX20