One of Glenrothes’ two police stations could close under proposals put forward by the unified Scottish force.
The move would affect the Napier Road base, in the town centre, with operations moved to the newer Detroit Road station.
The Detroit Road station was built around 15 years ago and Napier Road is considerably older.
The latter station costs around £200,000 a year to run and last year the roof was replaced at a cost of £100,000.
Police Scotland estimates that the closure will save it in the region of £1 million over four years. The force carried out a survey and says it found only four people walked in for routine reasons over a two-week period.
At a meeting of Fife Council’s Glenrothes local area committee on Wednesday, Chief Superintendent Garry McEwan moved to assure elected members that the closure of the Napier Road station was not a “fait accompli”.
He said that the majority of people contacting the police now did so through social media or the 101 non-emergency phone number.
In a bid to improve policing in the town centre, the number of officers based at the Kingdom Centre would increase from one to two and members of the public would be able to communicate with them via an intercom system.
Additionally, suspects from east Fife would be held at a new custody suite in Methil, to complement the facilities at Glenrothes and Dunfermline.
Chief Superintendent McEwan said: “As part of improving our accessibility to the public while making the necessary savings, I am exploring options around some of the extensive and expensive police buildings across Fife.
“We have two large police stations situated in Glenrothes, both of which are under-occupied and inefficient in relation to space and running costs. We are in the process of consulting with staff and elected members to see what improvements can be made. I intend to keep local communities fully informed over the next few months.”
However, councillors expressed concern that there is not currently a public transport service that stops at the Detroit Road station and said this matter would need to be looked into.