Uncertain future for Stratford police front desk follows ambulance station closure
THE countdown has started to see if another blow to Stratford’s public services is on the way following the closure of the town’s ambulance station.
It was revealed this week the non-emergency personnel still based there are about to leave and the building will be sold – meaning the focus will now switch to the future of the front desk at Stratford police station.
In the summer, the Herald put the spotlight on the threat to both services. At that stage West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) had revealed it was looking to close its ten community ambulance stations (CAS), including Stratford, sparking concerns about the quality of service that would be offered in the town and the rural areas around. The ten stations - also including Evesham and the other CAS in Warwickshire, Rugby – closed in October.
The closure in Rugby was raised in parliament and the town’s MP also presented a petition put together by residents - but in Stratford the change has gone largely unnoticed.
A spokesman for the trust pointed out that while it had prepared a briefing paper for local authorities and MPs, no consultation was necessary as the service to the pubic remained the same: “Prior to the closure you dialled 999 and an ambulance arrived and there has been no change to that service.”
The closures mean a hub system is used, which already accounted for many of the ambulance journeys in the area.
The spokesman added: “In the area around Stratford, in the first six months of 2021, 27,136 cases were attended and 1,304 by the ambulance based in Stratford, so 95.6 per cent were from ambulances in Warwick, Coventry, Birmingham, Bromsgrove etc.
“So the chance of you being dealt with by the ambulance from Stratford was less than 5 per cent.”
He said WMAS was the first trust to adopt this hub-based approach but it was being rolled out across the country.
Last summer, Lib Dem councillors were concerned. Cllr Manuela Perteghella represents a rural ward and said this week: “The closure of the Stratford community ambulance station is short sighted and potentially dangerous in a wide rural district of villages and hamlets such as ours. The closest ambulances will now be located in Warwick. How can that serve the health rights of patients, and above all the critically-ill patients, for example in Quinton or Welford?”
WMAS said the Masons Road building is about to go on the market.
If the ambulance scenario is unlikely to change, questions remain about the future of the front desk at Stratford police station.
The building remains in use by the force but the uncertainty over the opening of the front desk has sparked regular concerns.
Ch Supt Emma Bastone, head of local policing at Warwickshire Police, told the Herald: “Stratford remains one of our primary police stations and continues to have a number of police officers, staff and operational policing teams based there.
“The pandemic and access to new technology has changed how our communities want to access our services with far more opting for online reporting channels. This has reduced the numbers of visitors at front counters, including since the release of lockdown restrictions. As we have also experienced resourcing challenges, we have prioritised keeping the front desks open at the justice centres in Warwickshire (Leamington and Nuneaton) as this is where we see our highest demand.
“Unfortunately, this has meant we have had to make some changes to opening hours at Stratford’s front counter as we manage staffing numbers. Opening hours are now published on the force’s website.”
At this point in time the website shows it is shut for 20 out of the 31 days of May - the 11 days when it is opened include today, Thursday, 19th May; Saturday, 21st May; Wednesday, 25th May; Saturday, 28th May and Sunday, 29th May.
CS Bastone added: “We know people can be disappointed if they attend a front counter and aren’t able to see a police officer immediately and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. However, we would encourage people to report any concerns or non-emergency incidents online where possible.
“A yellow contact phone is permanently positioned outside the station so when the front counter is not available, the public can still use this to speak to someone if needed.”
She also confirmed that the situation is under review, so Stratford could yet face further change.
“In the meantime, the force is in the process of reviewing its operating model and this will include how best to offer face to face services to the public, whilst also being able to resolve issues at the first point of contact. Once this review is complete and implemented, we will be able to publish more consistent opening times at our main stations for incident resolution.
“Our overall aim is to better utilise our available resources to provide a better service to the public.”
To find the opening times, go to the contact us section on the Warwickshire Police website, look for the visit us section and enter Stratford.
If you have had experience of finding the station not open when it was due to be, tell the Herald.
