More Wolverhampton police stations close as cuts continue
Three police stations in Wolverhampton have closed their doors for the last time.
The sites – at Oxley, Pennwood Court and Staveley House, Whitmore Reans – shut yesterday. None was still open to the public.
West Midlands Police confirmed closure dates for 13 police stations in the Black Country earlier this year as part of £8.6 million cuts. The force is shutting 28 stations in total across its area, with some being axed and others sold.
Sites in Heath Town, Graiseley, Netherton and The Tanhouse Centre in Great Barr were the first to close on January 31 this year.
Dudley's main town centre station, in New Street, closes on August 31.
And next year sees Halesowen go on January 31, Stourbridge on May 31 and Kingswinford on July 31.
Tettenhall is also due to close on February 28 next year. The closure of Wolverhampton's Heath Town base raised fears over the potential return of gun crime and gang warfare to an area once blighted by trouble.
The facility, at a block of flats, was among the first closures. Although rarely accessed by the public, the base ensured a regular police presence at the Chervil Rise flats.
David Hawtin, a neighbourhood watch leader for the area, argued that as recently as three years ago the city was blighted by four main groups of trouble-makers, including the Firetown Gang, which was known to frequent the estate.
He said the police presence there 'put a cork in the bottle for a while' and questioned what would happen without it. Just four stations in the Black Country remain open to the public – Bloxwich, Brierley Hill, West Bromwich and Wolverhampton Central.
Assistant Chief Constable Michele Larmour, force lead for local policing, said: "Many of our buildings have high running costs, are poorly located and are not fit for future operational purposes.
"The force's ambition as we move forward is to ensure a high quality policing service to the people of the West Midlands.
"It is vital we continue to question how much we invest in our estate and continue to maximise the service we provide to our communities. None of these sites are open to the public and it's important to remember policing is about people, not buildings."
