Two more Cornish police stations are to be reopened to the public by the end of the year.

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez has unveiled plans to reopen the front desks at four police stations in the Devon and Cornwall Police force area.

In Cornwall these will be Falmouth and Penzance, which both had their front desks closed at the end of October 2014. This will be in addition to Newquay's front desk, which was reopened in 2020 as a temporary measure, now remaining open permanently.

In Devon, Tiverton and Newton Abbot will be reopening.

These offices will be staffed by police enquiry officers from Monday to Saturday, 10am to 3pm, while the existing nine already operated by the force will operate extended opening hours of 8am to 6pm on the same days.

Officers staffing the offices will be able to support the 101 contact centre too, when not dealing with people in-person.

It is estimated that the cost of the additional openings will be about £186,000 in 2022/23, with the Commissioner and force exploring opportunities to reopen more front desks in the following financial years.

The plans were approved by Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer and the PCC at a recent meeting of the Devon and Cornwall Police resources board.

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Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said: “Police stations offer a place of refuge for victims and a point of contact between the police and the public they serve.

"They are hugely reassuring for many people, enabling crimes to be reported, victims to be protected and information to flow freely between the force and the public it serves.

“I have been very vocal about the public’s desire to see some of these front offices reopened, and the importance of establishing greater communication and understanding between the force and residents, so am really pleased to see progress on this landmark project – it shows that our police stand side by side with our communities in tackling crime.

“We know that when people have contact with police officers their confidence in the force increases. With police officer numbers set to reach record levels in Devon and Cornwall Police thanks to investment by our communities it is right that we maximise opportunities for the public to talk to officers and staff directly.

“We will not stop there. I believe the force should be more visible so am engaged in talks to work out where more enquiry offices might be opened to best serve the public.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez celebrates the relaunch of the four police front desks Picture: Office of the PCC

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez celebrates the relaunch of the four police front desks Picture: Office of the PCC

The news has also been welcomed by Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer, who said: “I warmly welcome the investment by the PCC and the public within Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, as well as the uplift in police numbers provided by Government.

"This provides an opportunity to open some police stations across the force area. There is a clear business case and merit for these new opportunities which the force will continue to monitor in discussion with the Commissioner, recognising that in a digital age and across such a wide geography, there must be a blended means of public access to the force and that the force must seek to be present in the digital space alongside the physical space.

“During the pandemic we saw a significant increase in the number of people using our website and calling 101, however, there are many people who continue to see the value in face to face contact within the reassuring setting of a police station. I am pleased that we will be continuing to explore further options of increasing our access through call centres and other digital mediums, as well as the exciting potential to open more front desks in the years to come.”

Chief Inspector John Shuttleworth, who has been tasked with rolling out the openings, said getting the front offices up and running would "take a little work", to employ new staff, get them trained and organise for the police stations to be fitted with appropriate furniture and front counters, but that people should see them fully functioning by the end of the year.

Anyone interested in applying for the role of police enquiry officer in the locations should check the Devon and Cornwall Police vacancies site, where they will be advertised in due course under 'Current Vacancies - What could you do? - Police Recruitment' at recruitment-dcp-dp.org