No plan to shut police station (From South Wales Argus)

No plan to shut police station

2:19pm Tuesday 25th September 2012 in Letters

I HAVE been contacted by many members of the local community in relation to the future of Blackwood police station. I have spoken to the chief officers and members of Gwent Police Authority and can assure readers that there is no plan in the short or medium term to close Blackwood police station.

Rumours that the police station will close in 2013 are simply without foundation. Gwent Police are faced with managing a budget against an unprecedented level of cuts in funding and the Estate Strategy is constantly under review to examine ways of saving money. Any savings realised will affect the number of police officers and police staff employed by Gwent Police. The closing of police stations is a very emotive subject and has been raised in numerous articles in the South Wales Argus. It is obviously something that communities are very concerned about and they feel they should be involved in a meaningful consultation process. The policy on police station closures will feature very highly on the agenda of the newly appointed Police and Crime Commissioner in November this year.

Ian Johnston QPM, Independent Candidate, Police and Crime Commissioner