A COMMUNITY group has expressed “strong objections” to the planned relocation of Crieff police station, claiming it could lead to crimes going unreported.
Tayside Police wants to move the station from the town centre to Strathearn Community Campus.
It claims it will make the force more visible and approachable, but Crieff Community Trust (CCT) has failed to back the proposal, claiming it was drawn up without local consultation.
In an official consultation response, CCT secretary Dawn Griesbach has outlined the group’s concerns.
She said: “We are extremely concerned that Tayside Police and Perth and Kinross Council have been engaged in what have been described as ‘advanced discussions’ about this proposed move without any prior discussion or consultation having been carried out with the local community which both these bodies are meant to be serving.
“This proposal was publicly announced in the last week of October and a drop-in ‘consultation’ was announced, at short notice, and held in Crieff at the community campus on Thursday November 8 from 2 to 7pm.
“Needless to say this was not well attended.
“One of the reasons given by Tayside Police for the proposed move is that it will ‘provide improved public access’ to the police. We strongly disagree that the relocation of the police from the centre of town to the outskirts will improve the public’s access to the police in Crieff.
“On the contrary, we believe that it will result in significantly more incidents going unreported because of the inaccessibility of the campus location to the elderly, to people who do not have cars, to visitors, and to passers-by.”
The trust, working with the local community council and Crieff and Upper Strathearn Partnership, is involved in a wide-ranging project to improve the town.
The police station has been at its King Street site for over a century, but much of it is now unused and unfit for purpose.
Ms Griesbach said: “While we can appreciate and sympathise with the point made by Tayside Police that their current offices on King Street are ‘old’ and ‘inefficient’, we would prefer to see the police make an effort, and be supported, to improve the efficiency of their current offices, rather than simply discard them, leaving the centre of Crieff with yet another large, vacant building.
“Alternatively, we would like the police to seek new premises in the town centre, which would be far more accessible to the people of Crieff than the campus location on the edge of the town.
“Was the former shopping centre in Penny Lane considered? Were any vacant premises in the centre of Crieff considered?”
The trust also called on the council to outline its “vision” for the town.
“This proposal and Perth and Kinross Council’s obvious involvement in facilitating this move makes us question, once again, what exactly is Perth and Kinross Council’s vision for the centre of Crieff?
“It is becoming increasingly apparent to us that it does not have one.
“Rather, it appears to us that Perth and Kinross Council are concentrating their efforts on resiting the town centre of Crieff to the campus, thus frustrating the vision for town centre regeneration being developed by the committed community and business sectors which currently exist in Crieff.”
Inspector Iain Ward, the senior officer for the area, outlined the reasons for the proposed move winning the backing of Tayside Police.
He said: “Having an operational police office within a community campus is a new concept, but one which I think makes common sense in this day and age.
“I have looked at different ways to increase our visibility and opportunities to engage with the public.
“The community campus is in a prime location to help us achieve this. It already houses excellent public services that are regularly used by large sections of the community.”
arichardson@thecourier.co.uk