CAMPAIGNERS fear the closure of a string of police counters yesterday could pave the way for stations in the north and north-east to shut for good.
Opposition MSPs believe it is only a matter of time before force chiefs use the same arguments put forward to justify the axing of public contact points to build a case for leaving communities with no permanent officer presence.
The counter service in Fochabers closed yesterday, along with those at Bucksburn in Aberdeen, Aboyne and Portsoy in Aberdeenshire and Tobermory on Mull.
The public is now expected to use smartphones, the internet, and social media to report crimes – rather than have face-to-face contact with the police.
Moray Council member Douglas Ross said it was “sad day” for Fochabers.
The Conservative councillor said: “The front desk service allowed local people to speak to the police and pass on information.”
Councillor Ross, who represents Fochabers-Lhanbryde, added: “The closure may act as a barrier to that type of communication between the police and the public.”
Lynn Duncan, chairwoman of Lennox Community Council, which covers Fochabers, said: “We have been led to believe that the office was not being considered for closure but we are not very confident so we will have to wait and see.” The community leader said members were more concerned about plans to close police control rooms because local knowledge was vital to quick response times. Ms Duncan said: “That is a huge concern because we have a lot of local unnamed roads and some people have strong accents.”
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Dave Stewart added: “I have to wonder, is this an example of the thin edge of the wedge with police counters like Forres closing in the future?” Labour and Conservative MSPs claimed the Scottish Government’s “centralisation agenda” would damage the delivery of emergency services in the future.
The counter closures are hard on the heels of the decision to shut police and fire brigade control rooms in Aberdeen and Inverness.
Thousands of people have signed online petitions to try to persuade both police and fire service bosses to change their minds and a Scottish Parliament committee has been urged to intervene and save the fire control centre in Inverness.
Police bosses have insisted that local policing remains the “bedrock” of the new single force and claimed the changes would improve the provision of specialist services for all parts of the country.
Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Mawson said: “These changes allow us to ensure more of the right people with the right skills are available at the right time and in the right places to serve communities in a manner that reflects the way people now live their lives.
“The review of public counters has contributed to this with Police Scotland committed to maximising police officers on the street and in communities working to keep people safe and to provide the high standards of service the public expects.”
But north-east Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald said he was “very worried” about the future of Bucksburn police station and for the future of policing in Grampian because the 101 non-emergency call centre in that area of the city was also closing.
“These counter closures mark another sad day in the rundown of police and fire services in the north-east,” he added. “All of the arguments for closing public counters could be applied to the stations closing as a whole.
“There is a real and serious threat to local access to justice – the cuts and closures have to stop.”
North-east Conservative MSP Nanette Milne said: “I am concerned that the removal of any public access to police stations will soon be used to justify the closure of police stations.
“The SNP centralisation agenda is seeing police service cuts from the north-east which will impact on local policing in the future.”
Liberal Democrat justice spokeswoman Alison McInnes said the manner in which the reforms were being undertaken “leaves a great deal to be desired and people are asking themselves what is next”.
“We do not support this flagrant asset-stripping of communities, which we believe is a retrograde and short-sighted move driven by the SNP government,” added the north-east MSP.