Front counter at Scarborough police station to close two hours earlier

Although the 24-hour operation of the station remains unchanged, from Monday, 15 October the counter will close at 8pm.

Analysis by North Yorkshire Police Chief Constable shows that, on average, fewer than four people each day visit the station between 8pm and 10pm.

The majority of these visits are in relation to custody or for pre-arranged appointments, both of which can be met by staff and officers on duty at the station and do not require the front counter to be open.

Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan said: “With the changing nature of policing, and the way many of us now live large parts of our lives online, it is inevitably affecting how the public interact with the police. This is something the police are still getting to grips with, and a lot more needs to be done to improve access to policing online and improve customer service, both of which are part of my police and crime plan.

“These changes are already having an impact on the numbers of people visiting police stations, which is getting fewer and fewer, especially in late evenings. Our front counter team provide an excellent service, but it does not make sense for them to be staffing the front counter when they’re rarely being used. I am sure taxpayers will agree that there are better ways we can use the £150,000 expected to be saved.”

The counter will be open for 12 hours from 8am to 8pm.