The spiral continues and it plays into the hands of the bean counters who say the front offices aren't viable thus justifying more closures. Whittle away at the estate and flogging it off and then find if you travel to the nearest one open there is a queue. Understaffing of front office services available to to deal with the public has been endemic for years and it means people walk away. For MoP seeing a shuttered front office is significant. It is symbolic. It is not good enough to say 'this is still a working police station but you cant come in to speak with us'. Leaving a phone at the shuttered door with basic instructions to divert you elsewhere in the system. In Westminster, the heart of Central London, there is just one front office open. We have, in effect, walked away from the public and the much used 'communities we serve' tag line that we hear so often from SMT. It seems so out of place.

The police are barking up the wrong tree. Read this. https://www.forbritain.uk/2020/07/24/recruitment-of-minorities-into-the-police-service/

The editor really ought to change the headline on this article!