Gwent Police boss and PCC on police station closures

Figures show 30 stations have been lost since 2003 in the Gwent Police area, either sold off (for a total of £2.2 million) or returned to their landlords.

Many of the closures took place after 2010, and front-counter services have been lost at an additional 15 stations in Gwent, Freedom of Information data reveals.

Two more stations - in Cwmbran and Pontypool - are earmarked for closure in the next five years.

Amid warnings from MPs that - nationwide - police stations provide a "visible reassurance" to the public, and that "too many people... do not see police officers unless they whizz past in a car", we asked Gwent's chief constable and police and crime commissioner why so many stations and counters had closed in the region, and whether there were any plans to reverse this trend.

Pam Kelly, the force's chief constable, said the closures were partly because of changing ways that people want to report information to the police.

"Over the years the number of people visiting stations in person has dramatically fallen, while the number of calls taken by our contact centre has risen and we have also created a number of contact routes through social media," she said.

Gwent Police chief constable Pam Kelly with the region's police and crime commissioner, Jeff Cuthbert. Picture: Gwent Police

It has become customary for police appeals to now ask for information - from witness appeals to missing persons - to be reported via Facebook and Twitter, along with more traditional means of contacting the force.

Chief Constable Kelly said this was proving ever more popular, with direct messages to Gwent Police's social media accounts topping 63,000 last year.

She also said fewer police stations doesn't mean police officers have stopped serving a neighbourhood, and the force retains "a high visibility across all areas of Gwent".

Four in five residents say they are confident they can easily speak to police, she added.

The force will this year review its policy on "the future vision for our buildings and how we use them, to ensure we have facilities that are fit for purpose to deliver policing services in the 21st century", the chief constable said..

Jeff Cuthbert is Gwent's police and crime commissioner, an elected role that represents the public in policing matters.

He agreed that people's ways of contacting the police had changed, but also said government cuts to police budgets had left forces with no option but to find ways to make "savings".

Newport Central Police Station is one of five regular Gwent Police stations open to the public. Picture: Google

"Gwent Police has had significant real-term cuts in Government funding since 2010 and to date has had to make nearly £53 million in savings," Mr Cuthbert said.

He added: "With the changing nature of crime also requiring more complex investigations and safeguarding requirements, resources must be prioritised where they will be most effective."

As well as the upcoming review of the Gwent Police estate, he said more community support officers (PCSOs) would be hired in the near future, which "demonstrates our continued commitment to providing an efficient and effective service and keeping our communities safe".

He added: "I know from speaking to residents that they want to see officers tackling crime in their communities.

"Since I was first elected in 2016, we have around 300 more police officer posts servicing the communities of Gwent and plans to grow community support officer numbers from 162 to 196 over the next few years."