The closure of Burnham-On-Sea’s police station is set to go ahead over the next year, the area’s top officer has confirmed this week.
Inspector Andy Pritchard, pictured, told town councillors that plans to shut the police station as part of a cost-cutting exercise are proceeding and that a smaller enquiry office will be opened elsewhere in the town.
“We want to have a small enquiry office serving Burnham and Highbridge and are currently considering several locations for the facilities. These include the fire station, Town Council offices and the seafront hovercraft station,” he said.
“I want to reassure residents that the changes will not effect the service we offer to the public. There will continue to be an inspector in the community and local officers will also still operate here, starting and finishing their shifts in the town.”
He added that the timescales for the new enquiry office being opened are “very variable and could stretch beyond 2015.”
He also told town councillors at their meeting this week that extra staff are likely to be introduced in Burnham from March 2015 as part of the police’s operating model to ensure there are enough officers to meet overall demand.
New smartphone technology is also soon to be introduced to allow officers in Burnham and Highbridge to write up case reports whilst attending crime scenes. This, he said, will help “them maximise their time out in the community and operate more efficiently.”
The plans to close Burnham’s Police Station were first reported by Burnham-On-Sea.com in February here.
