A SENIOR officer has moved to reassure the public over a proposal to cut police station opening times.

The front desk of Loughton police station is currently open 24 hours a day.

But there are plans to cut opening hours to noon until 6pm to save money.

The force also announced plans to slash the opening hours at Epping station to noon to 6pm, from the current 8am to 10pm period, and to close the front counter at Waltham Abbey station.

Assistant Chief Constable Tim Newcomb, based at Chelmsford, admitted the changes would have an impact.

He said: “This is not a withdrawal from the streets. I do understand that local communities value their police station and the presence and, even if they don’t use it, knowing they can call on it, but there’s a difference between the front counter and policing."

He said there was no connection between reducing the opening hours for front desk services and a rise in anti-social behaviour or crime.

“We’re not saying we’re going to withdraw our emergency response or normal policing,” he added.

“It will have an impact, but the other key thing is that we will have to rationalise our services.

“If we don’t make savings this way, we would have to make them in other ways, and that means fewer police officers.

“Where people phone up and say they want to see a police officer because they have a problem, we will go to them,” he added “We visit far more people in their homes than ever go to a police station.

“The station is still going to be used as a neighbourhood police base for the foreseeable future."

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