Tadley meeting over closure of town's police station

The future of Mulfords Hill station has been hanging in the balance for the past two years, since Hampshire Police Authority announced that it was to close 18 police stations throughout Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and sell off some of the vacated buildings, in a bid to slash some £50m from police estates budgets.
The list of pending closures included Tadley Police Station, which, in 2011, accommodated six police officers, five police community support officers and one civilian member of staff.
The force has said that closure of the station would not take place until alternative accommodation within the town’s local community had been secured for police officers and staff and their vehicles.
Sharing accommodation with firefighters and other staff at Tadley Fire Station, Franklin Avenue, was one possibility mooted last year.
Last Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the police force, Julie Knight, said that no alternative location had yet been agreed for Tadley Police Station, but there were no plans to reopen the station’s closed front-desk service, following any relocation.
The meeting, which has been scheduled by police, will focus on raising public awareness of the issue, and reassuring the public that officers will remain visible at the heart of the community.
The acting director of Hampshire Constabulary’s estate development programme, Chief Insp Rob Heath said: “We are policing in a time in which mobile technology allows officers and staff to work out of various locations, alongside our partners.
“We already have a number of officers in the force successfully working from alternative locations, such as at schools, super- markets and fire stations.”
The meeting is scheduled to last for an hour and kicks off at 6.30pm at Tadley Town Council’s offices, 2 Franklin Avenue, Tadley.