Do you want large police stations to be emptied?

12:36pm Thursday 10th July 2008

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Radical modernisation plans which could see Kingston and Surbiton police stations sold off and officers redeployed into shops and schools are to be put out to the public consultation for a second time.

The user-friendly counters in shopping centres, school, hospitals, churches or council buildings and a warehouse style building on an industrial estate would replace old-fashioned police stations.

After new buildings are found, the future use of the two main police stations in Kingston, described as inadequate, inefficient and expensive to maintain with not enough parking spaces, and Surbiton would be "considered", it said.

But Kingston and Surbiton MP Edward Davey told the Comet last month that he had not heard about the three-month public consultation launched in November.

Steve O'Connell, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority finance committee, said: "The MPA and the Met consulted with local communities about the future of the police estate but there were limitations to the process which we all recognise.

"The results we did get have illustrated that our communities need more information, about how the services provided in their name operate, in order to understand how they need to develop and change to improve.

"But it also highlighted considerable opposition in some areas to the removal of local police facilities, specifically iconic police stations."

The detailed results of the consultation for the borough of Kingston are to be made public in the next few weeks, the Metropolitan Police Authority said.

To see the consultation visit www.mpa.gov.uk