News on police stations

Yesterday, it was announced that “as of Monday 16th May 2011, the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary will reduce the number of police stations with enquiry offices open to the public from 57 to 21.”

It also states that “no police stations are being closed. Police officers and police community support officers will continue to work from stations where the enquiry office has been withdrawn … members of the public attending a police station where there is no enquiry office, or the enquiry office is closed, will be able to use an external free phone. They will be able to speak to a call handler who will assess what assistance is required and arrange for police attendance or provide suitable advice as appropriate.”

The new opening hours for police station enquiry offices that have been announced are as follows:

Three principal sites - open daily 0800-2200hrs (including Bank Holidays): Charles Cross in Plymouth; Exeter; Torquay.

18 non-principal sites – open Tuesday – Friday 1000-1900hrs (closed for lunch 1400-1500hrs) and Saturday 0900-1400hrs: Barnstaple, Bodmin, Bude, Camborne, Crownhill, Exmouth, Falmouth, Honiton, Launceston, Liskeard, Newquay, Newton Abbot, Okehampton, Penzance, St Austell, Tiverton.

This seems pretty inequitable to me. All the principal sites are in Devon, while in Cornwall there will be no police stations with enquiry offices open on Mondays or Sundays. How can this work?