Row rages over claims Coventry police bases will close

A row has broken out over claims three Coventry police bases are set to close.

Councillor Patricia Hetherton (Lab, Woodlands) says the decision goes back on a promise made by the late Police and Crime Commissioner Bob Jones last year.

She says bases in Tile Hill, Spon End and Radford will be shut with police teams moving elsewhere.

But West Midlands Police say no decision has been made on which bases will close as part of a review of the forces buildings in Coventry.

Coun Hetherton said that Mr Jones, who died last month, had vowed not to close the police base in Tile Hill until after an extensive public consultation.

She said: We accept that the current building may not be entirely suitable for its purpose, but we strongly agree with our constituents that any proposed move must ensure the team is still based in the local area.

Whilst I welcome the fall in recorded crime in Woodlands ward, there have been some very serious incidents which have led the community to call for a visible police presence to offer reassurance.

I have no doubt that the fall in recorded crime is due largely to this visibility and to the relationships with residents which our front line police have been able to form as a result of their proximity to the neighbourhoods they serve.

I am therefore calling on West Midlands Police to halt these plans until local people have been consulted, and until an appropriate alternative has been identified.

It is essential that the Woodlands neighbourhood police team can patrol from a location in the area they serve, instead of spending their time travelling from a remote base.

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Row rages over claims Coventry police bases will close