Thin blue line in danger of disappearing under cuts

Plymouth City Council Leader Tudor Evans has called for an urgent meeting with top police officials to discuss proposals to close two police stations in the city.

Devon and Cornwall Police announced plans to close police stations and offices across their area in the next five years in a bid to save £29m from its current budget.

Plympton and Beacon Park are in the line of fire for closure together with a property store.

Councillor Evans said:  “We know only too well how hard it is to provide essential services with a dwindling pot of money, however the scale and the savagery of these proposals across the region has come as a shock to us – and I’m sure to residents living in the east of the Plymouth and in neighbourhoods around Ham and Beacon Park 

“Closing Plympton leaves the city with no visible police presence in the east of the city and shutting Beacon Park means that a vital community link has been lost.

“This is a lot of pain for a million quid – under this government the thin blue line is in danger of disappearing altogether. This does have implications for our residents – even just to see a police car or an officer near these buildings sends out a reassuring message.

“I would also like to know why the police, who we work so closely with to improve life for our residents, thought it was acceptable to not tell us about these plans."

Councillor Evans also called on the city’s MPs to put pressure on the government to provide more funding.

“Everywhere we look, publically funded services are being hacked to pieces – what more has to happen for our MPs to start questioning how little this city is getting.”