Potential police public counter closures sparks furious backlash

Carluke Police Station
30/9/13 — Carluke Police Station 30/9/13

SINCE last week’s exclusive Gazette report that the public counters are to close at three of Clydesdale’s four police stations, local politicians have been queuing up to express their fierce opposition.

As reported, the new Police Scotland force has reviewed the use of their counter services at all their stations and concluded that many – including those at Carluke, Biggar and Lesmahagow – are so seldom used by the public that they should close, saving millions of pounds a year.

The only station which would retain a counter where the public can walk in to report a crime or discuss a policing issue would be Lanark’s.

So far, the only local politician to have a good word to say about the proposal has been Clydesdale’s SNP MSP Aileen Campbell, claiming that it isn’t an actual cut to local policing.

Conservative MP for rural Clydesdale David Mundell, whose constituency includes Biggar, has announced he is mounting a campaign to retain that station’s counter service.

Labour List MSP for the whole area, Claudia Beamish, stated: “Although demand at these stations is low, I am concerned that proposals to close public counters would leave many communities in Clydesdale isolated from their local police.”

Lesmahagow’s Labour MP Michael McCann commented: “These are SNP cuts, not police cuts.”