Ahead of the West Midlands PCC Board meeting, I have expressed rejection and regret of the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner’s apparent decision to close Aldridge Police Station after the pretence of a consultation process.
Papers released ahead of the board meeting simply confirm my view that the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner has always intended to rubber stamp this police closure programme and close the doors of Aldridge Police Station once and for all without any regards for public opinion and the needs of my constituents.
The decision by the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner to close Aldridge Police Station has been shrouded in secrecy from the start. The Police Station closure programme was sneaked out via a press release at the twelfth hour. The ‘consultation exercise’ is buried in the Police and Crime Commissioner’s website and the telephone number (01922 419 589) which Walsall stakeholders were advised to call about the closure programme has been discontinued since the start of this so called ‘consultation process.
This has not been a proper consultation and the report to the Strategic Policing and Crime Board demonstrate exactly that. The decision to close Aldridge Police Station has been made with scant regard for the views of the general public. The Strategic Policing and Crime Board are merely rubber stamping the proposal without any regard for the public’s reassurance and safety.
The Police and Crime Commissioner demonstrates that he has the wrong priorities for our local area and I will continue to fight this closure programme. I call on the Board and Mr Jamieson to halt this closure programme until an adequate consultation has been undertaken with all alternatives being fully considered.
The Police and Crime commissioner continues to demonstrate that he has the wrong priorities for my local area. I will continue to fight this.