Public fears over police counter cuts

As reported in The Extra, Giffnock police station — currently open 24 hours — has been flagged in a Police Scotland report for reduced counter hours of 7am until midnight, seven days a week.

The meeting has been called for Monday (October 28), amid community concerns.

Savio D’Souza, chair of Giffnock community council, told The Extra: “When you take out a car insurance policy, you don’t expect to use it — however, it gives you peace of mind to know it’s there.

“It’s the same thing with police stations — the value of reassuring the public and that sense of safety is important.

“In East Renfrewshire we don’t have a vast base of police officers, which means that officers have to come from other areas to deal with major incidents.

“My concern is that if cuts are now based on a nine day survey, then it could be setting up a full closure in future years.

“Giffnock is a central location and should be kept open.”

Chief inspector Campbell Crawford, area commander for East Ren, has agreed to attend the public meeting, with invitations also extended to local politicians.

He commented that the proposals are “about moving resources to maximise police service within the community, matching our services to the demand for them”.

The nationwide public counter review is currently under staff consultation — but members of the public are asked to submit their views to [email protected] by October 31.

All are welcome to attend the meeting at Giffnock primary school — 7.30pm start.