Further to our earlier article outlining fears that Ryde police station would be closed to the public from 9th June, a response has been received from Hampshire Constabulary
A spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary told OnTheWight,
“A review of front office usage has been undertaken to ensure we continue to offer the best locations, opening hours and service to the public, while improving internal effectiveness and efficiency.
“As a result of a front office review, we are changing the opening and closing times of front offices at police stations, effective from June 23, 2014, to better match the demand of the users.
“There will continue to be 16 police stations [Across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Ed] offering a front office service, however the stations offering the service may change, to better match the user needs and business requirement.
“As a result of low usage, the front office at Ryde will close because our review showed that it was rarely used. During the period of the review, the usage was less than nine per cent of the one based in Newport and equated to less than three people visiting the front office each day.
“While the changes come into effect from June 23, 2014, Ryde police station is closing from June 9, 2014, in response to staff shortages out of our control.”
