Opening hours updated at Melton Mowbray Police Station
Opening hours at Melton Mowbray Police Station have been guaranteed following the appointment of a permanent member of staff to field queries in reception.
Officers and community support officers had previously been needed to deal with callers at the front desk and the demands of their operational roles meant they were not always available in reception.
But the King Street station is now open from 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday and officers have been freed up to carry out their patrols and other investigations.
A Leicestershire Police spokesperson said: “We have updated the opening hours for our front enquiry office.
“Thanks to the new permanent position of our Local Support Team Officer, police constables (PCs) and police community support officers (PCSOs), who previously helped cover the front desk, can now return to their vital roles out in the community.
“In addition to managing the front enquiry office, the Local Support Team Officer will also assist the public with services such as taking statements and offering crime prevention advice.
“We are also exploring new technology to make our front enquiry offices even more accessible and user-friendly for everyone in our communities.”
Addressing the issue of previously having to close the station at various times in the day and the decision to appoint the permanent Local Support Team Officer, Melton Police posted on their Facebook page: “The reduction of opening hours was a difficult decision.
"These changes were introduced based on the low public footfall we were receiving at the station, and to minimise the abstraction of Police Officers and PCSOs from their vital work in communities.
"By focusing resources where they’re most needed, we can continue to prioritise visible, local policing, in line with our policing pledge to our communities.”
The move is part of Leicestershire Police’s wider commitment to ensure every policing area has a front enquiry office.
These are slated to offer offering a broad range of services, including reporting crime or anti-social behaviour, crime prevention and reduction advice, plus access to many other policing services.
Residents are invited to call in for support and advice during opening hours.