Plans to close the existing Cambridge police station and create a new one in Milton have left many concerned about the future state of policing in the city centre.
Parkside police station, built in 1967, no longer meets the needs of the force as the city grows, so it has been proposed to build a station off the A10 adjacent to Milton Park and Ride.
Police have stressed that some sort of station or desk will remain in the city centre, although they have not outlined what it will look like.
Cambridgeshire’s police and crime commissioner, Jason Ablewhite, and the chief constable Nick Dean, met with residents and councillors at a public consultation on the project earlier this week.
What will the remaining police hub look like in the city centre?
The commissioner reiterated a commitment to keeping a physical police building in the city centre, but concerns were raised as he switched between using the terminology “desk” and “station” to describe what that will be.
A number of Cambridge City councillors challenged the commissioner, arguing a consultation on the new building ought to contain detail on what will replace Parkside in the city.
The chief constable defended the decision not to consult on that element of the plan now, saying the change in operation demand meant he could not predict what the most appropriate facility would be for two or three years down the line.
But he made an assurance that “policing will not be leaving Cambridge”.
The commissioner said in a statement after the meeting that he would consult on plans for the city centre facility when the current consultation on the Milton site ends.
He said: "Local community policing will remain at the heart [of Cambridge] in a police station, to be identified, whether that's on the existing site, whether it's next door with (Cambridgeshire) Fire, whether it's at the Guildhall - but actually community policing will still stay as will the desk that is currently open, that provision will stay at the heart of the centre."
Mr Ablewhite stressed that no matter the type of building, it would retain the same opening hours to the public as the station does now.
Parkside "no longer big enough"
Putting forward the case to leave Parkside, the commissioner reiterated the need to improve the custody facilities in the south of the county or risk breaking government guidelines.
He said: “Eventually we will be closed down, we have been warned already by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate about the future of [our custody facility]”.
He said the custody cells at Parkside currently fill up “two to three times a week,” resulting in officers having to drive those arrested up to Peterborough to detain them.
Mr Ablewhite said: “For those of you, like myself, who have lived and worked in Cambridge for decades, we have been discussing the need for a new police station for years.
"Whilst Parkside Police Station has provided a good service since its construction in 1967, it is no longer big enough to serve our growing population.
"The number of custody cells need increasing so that officers don’t spend hours transferring detainees to Peterborough, when the cells in Parkside become full.
He said the force would not be able to retain its main site for the south of the county in the city centre because it needs eight acres. He added that work needs to start on the project by February of next year.
There was also criticism heard in the meeting from members of the public that the plans were so detailed the decision looked as if it had already been made.
The commissioner said the level of detail was due to the “operational need”.
What are the next steps?
Following conflicting interests between Milton residents and city councillors, the commissioner pledged to hold a meeting in the city centre to specifically address the concerns of city residents.
The chief constable did address concerns raised by Milton residents that people would be released after arrest into the Milton community, likely far from where they live.
He said he and his officers have a “duty of care” when an arrest is made, and they do not receive complaints from residents surrounding the current Parkside station.
Cllr Lewis Herbert said in a statement after the meeting: "The most worrying revelation from tonight's meeting was that the Police Commissioner hasn't got a clue about the shape of their future central city police 'contact point', now at last being called a police station, that his plan proposes will replace Parkside as their vital city centre base.
"It is deeply worrying for everyone in Cambridge that the Police Commissioner cannot answer that most basic of questions, despite being asked that at least four times at tonight's meeting. It won't be a proper consultation until detailed plans for a city centre police station are published."
Mr Ablewhite said that when the first consultation about the proposed Milton site ends he will hold a second public consultation on what the remaining Cambridge city centre police station should look like.
He added: “I want to again reassure people that there will definitely be a police station in the centre of Cambridge City, whatever the outcome of the current survey regarding a possible new station in Milton.”
