At a public meeting in Guildford on Wednesday 30th June, Surrey Police Authority received the results from the first wave of Borough-level consultations carried out by Surrey Police into new locations for people to meet with their local policing teams. The consultations come as the Force looks to offer more ways to meet local police and replace some of its most costly and little-used police stations.

The new meeting places and replacement of related stations are integral parts of the major programme of changes announced in November 2009 to put Surrey Police on a more sustainable financial footing, recruit up to 200 additional constables and make the force more locally accessible. Other changes include a reduction in the number of senior officers and the removal of the divisional structure.

The first wave of consultations took place in Surrey Heath, Woking, Spelthorne and Guildford, with almost 1000 residents getting involved at a range of meetings, public events and also through an online survey.

The Police Authority - the body responsible for overseeing Surrey Police and making sure it delivers the services local people want in an effective and efficient way – heard that the majority of residents in these areas supported the move to new locations to help recruit more police constables:

- Spelthorne - local shops, community halls, parish/council offices and libraries were the most popular locations. Train stations and coffee shops/cafes were less popular.

- Surrey Heath – all options proved popular, in particular local shops/shopping centres, local halls, leisure /sports centres, cafes and libraries.

- Woking - local community halls, local shops/shopping centres and the library were the most popular choices for places to meet local teams. Leisure centres were considered inappropriate as they are not local. Local train stations and cafes were less popular.

- Guildford - the most popular places selected to meet local officers were local community halls, local shops/shopping centres, local parish/council offices and libraries. Train stations and café/coffee shops were the least popular.

The Police Authority has now asked Surrey Police to begin planning around how and where it can locate itself in these areas in line with these survey results. This is a process that will require careful work over the next few months with partner agencies and other parties in these areas to see what the most appropriate arrangements that can be made are.

The Authority also asked the Force to work towards improving understanding of how modern policing works. The meeting heard examples of common myths about the way Surrey Police operates, including:

Myth - All police stations have custody cells – in reality Surrey Police has four custody centres based at its largest stations in Guildford, Woking, Staines and Reigate. The Force has operated on this basis for several years and will continue to do so.

Myth – Emergency response comes from the nearest police station – Our emergency response teams are continuously on patrol across every borough in the county and available for deployment at any time.  Surrey Police has operated successfully in this way for a number of years and will continue to do so.

At the meeting, the Authority and the Force reiterated the commitment that none of the police stations being considered under the change plans will be sold until the new alternatives have been identified, agreed and are in place. 

Commenting on the findings, Chief Superintendent Gavin Stephens said:

“We’ve had a great response from residents to this first round of consultations and the findings are very clear. From the hundreds of conversations and surveys that have been filled in, we know that the public in these areas understand why we are making these changes and they have been keen to help us find the right places for our Neighbourhood Teams to be.

“We are now looking ahead to the next round of consultations, which we expect to be every bit as interesting and helpful as the first.”

Peter Williams, Chairman of Surrey Police Authority, added:
“The changes taking place at Surrey Police are radical and we knew from the start that the public would want to be closely involved in the process. This first wave of Borough consultations has shown us that the public understand why we need to change and support us as we seek to take the money spent on expensive and little-used buildings and use it to help recruit more constables.

“On behalf of the Police Authority, I would like to thank everyone who has taken part in the consultations to date for taking the time to tell us their views. What we are finding out is helping us to make the right decisions on where we should locate our policing teams in future.

“It is vital as these plans progress that Surrey Police can show the public how policing really works today and how it will work in the future. There are myths and misconceptions that surround policing and particularly police stations. The reality is that the majority are not the ‘one-stop-shops’ that they are sometimes seen to be, and they have not been so for many years.

“By doing more to explain how services are delivered, we can not only put some of these myths to bed - we can help people to understand the complexities of policing Surrey and the hard work that goes in to providing the best service possible.”

The next round of consultations will take place from the 12th July to 12th September in Epsom & Ewell, Mole Valley, Reigate & Banstead and Runnymede. More details will be announced in the local press as these consultations begin.