Police no longer book on at Wilmslow station

Police Officers and PCSOs are no longer booking on at Wilmslow Station, although there will still be staff working from there and the opening hours of the station remain unchanged.

Starting from Monday, 14th March, staff working in Wilmslow book on at Macclesfield Police Station where they are briefed before travelling to Wilmslow to start their shift.

This latest change follows the reorganisation of Cheshire Police and how it polices local communities. This began in July and included replacing the nineteen Neighbourhood Policing Units with eight Local Policing Units.

A police spokesperson said "The benefits of Local Policing Units were identified in a pilot in Ellesmere Port. The new Local Policing Units bring together staff involved in responding to calls, neighbourhood problem solving, intelligence officers and investigators to start their shift together and be briefed across the teams simultaneously.

"The pilot showed by bringing together staff in this way produced major benefits as they were able to share their knowledge and maximise opportunities for working across teams, better supervision and leadership and ensured the right person was sent to deal with the crime or incident at the earliest opportunity. Bringing staff on in one place will also allow the organisation to make better choices concerning the use of resources such as the vehicle fleet to get more efficient use of patrol cars to get to where we are needed when we are needed quickly whilst maintaining a local visible presence with officers on foot patrol in their local community.

"Detailed work has been has been carried out to ensure the move to bring staff together at the beginning of the shift in this way adds value to their work and delivers more visible patrol time in communities. Time spent travelling between booking on stations and beats has been looked at, and whilst it will be kept under review, we are confident that it will not impact on the service we provide to the public."

Cheshire Constabulary leaders visited Macclesfield Police Station on Wednesday, 16th March, to see the improvements made to the station that has enabled response officers, beat and investigation teams to come together. The refurbishment supports the new Local Policing Unit structures allowing different specialisms to work from one nerve centre.

Chief Constable Simon Byrne and Cheshire Police & Crime Commissioner John Dwyer visited the Brunswick Street building to officially open the refurbished premises. Macclesfield Police Station was first opened in 1974.

Chief Constable Simon Byrne said: "A good working environment with access to the latest technology helps to make sure our staff are ready to provide an outstanding service. When the new Local Policing Units were introduced it was recognised that we needed to make sure staff had access to information where they need it and when they need it and that they share intelligence as a team to get the best results for victims.

"Our focus is on effective use of intelligence and working together across all disciplines to reduce crime."

Commissioner John Dwyer said: "It was great to see the work that has gone into remodelling the station to ensure it is fit for purpose for our new Local Policing Unit structure. Speaking to staff today it was encouraging to see how they are forging new links and sharing their knowledge so they can continue to be an outstanding team.

"I hope to see this enhance the one team focus of Macclesfield Local Policing Unit, which is supported by police community bases, police contact points and local police stations around the county. The Chief Constable and I are determined to ensure officers can remain in their communities once they have been fully briefed to bring offenders to justice. This will make Cheshire a hostile place for criminals and reduce the number of victims."

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Wilmslow Police Station