Express & Star comment: From bad to worse on rule of law
The closure of the police station in Wombourne will be viewed by many as a blow to law and order in the area.
While there will still be a police presence in the village at the nearby Civic centre, this is not the same as officers having their own, dedicated base.
Early indications from the Express & Star's crime survey suggest that there is significant opposition to the police station closure programme across the readership.
And although some residents of Wombourne will be relieved that officers are not disappearing completely from the village, it is a safe bet that many people would prefer to see the station remain open.
Like all forces, Staffordshire Police has had to cut its cloth accordingly in the face of budget cuts.
This has meant that sacrifices have had to be made, and often in areas that have proved to be unpopular with the public.
And there is no doubt that reducing frontline visibility by taking away vital community facilities is as unpopular as it comes.
The buck, as this newspaper has stated many times, undoubtedly stops with central government.
As a former Home Secretary, Theresa May must be fully aware of the impact that real terms reductions in police funding is having on our streets.
If she isn't, then she only has to look at the recent crime figures.
Officers of all ranks are struggling to make sense of what appears to be a senseless policy, particularly at a time of rising crime.
In more private moments, many officers will express despair that their places of work – which act as important connections to the communities they serve – are being closed down.
Unfortunately, despite the arrival of police and crime commissioners, it appears that the public has little say in decisions that have a huge impact on all of our lives.
Moreover, all people can do is pay their taxes, put up with the many failings in our criminal justice system, and shake their heads in disbelief as the situation goes from bad to worse.
Of all shambolic actions of this Conservative administration, the underfunding and sheer negligence of its approach to law and order is by far the most criminal.
