Fenland District Councillor Condemns Proposed Closing of Chatteris Police Station

Fenland District Councils Florence Newell has condemned a plan that would see Chatteris Police force close the doors of the Police Station and repurpose the town library as a new station for the remaining Police Officers.

Councillor Newell slammed the proposal, having heard of it for the first time just this week, she described the plan as a “pathetic idea”

Expressing contempt for the proposal, Councillor Newell has gone on to say ““the library is not a place for a police station”. She has expressed great certainty that Chatteris Town Council will support her views on this subject and fight for the continued use of the East Park Street Station.

A report received by the Cambridgeshire Police Authority, cited the feasability of how possible the proposed closing of the Police Station in Chatteris could be.

Councillor Newell says she has received no information regarding the report and no word of it has been expressed in front of the town council, she was described as saying “That’s news to me.

This is not the first time Councillor Newell has battled to save the Chatteris Police station, only a few years ago there was a public meeting regarding the exact same proposed closure. Chatteris is an emerging town, with rapid growth, but it also has it’s problems, including a lot of drug abuse and related crimes. A library would be nothing more than a joke when it comes to providing support in the area.

The proposal has come through as part of the Police Authority financial and resources committee attempts to reduce budget costs, part of this initiative involves the reduction of space requirements within the Police force.

Currently, the Chatteris Police Station is open during the week. Hours are 9am until 1pm, Monday till friday. The Police Station is closed over the weekend, and bank holidays.

The report issued by The Police Authority has gone on to say “Chatteris - it is recommended that the feasibility study on relocating to the library is continued with initial findings being reported to the Chief Officer Group.”

The report went on to state that the Police Station that is located in Wisbech, and which is currently the subject of debate among partners, may be utilised as a shared services building.

The Police Station in Wisbech is also a subject under the report, debate among partners suggests that the building may be used as a shared services resource.

Police Stations in March and Whittlesey will remain unaffected by the decisions.