Police counter service moves to council office

Front counter services have moved from a Surrey police station to nearby council offices as part of cost cutting measures to save the force £52 million over 10 years.

Surrey Police announced that the counter at Camberley station was now at offices in Surrey Heath House in Knoll Road.

The police station will be considered for sale when the remaining staff have been relocated.

The changes have been made after a review of the force’s buildings, which suggested many were costly to maintain.

The force said that sharing buildings with partner organisations is just one of the initiatives being taken by to make accessing services more convenient, strengthen partnership working and save costs to reduce the budget deficit and invest in more police constables on the streets.

The move follows the re-location of safer neighbourhood officers at Camberley into the council offices in October last year.

James Norbury, Surrey Heath Neighbourhood Inspector, said: “My team has already moved into the council offices and it is the next logical step to move the front counter service here as well. The police and council are working much more closely and the increased face-to-face contact has greatly improved information sharing.

“The benefits of moving the front counter to Surrey Heath House will mean it is much easier and more convenient for local residents to deal with police matters at the same time as attending to council business.

“The borough council also offers better parking facilities and is closer to the town centre. We have ensured that residents are able to speak about police matters in privacy and I am sure the move will improve the services we provide to the local community.”