The debate over a new police station for Salisbury rumbles on, as it has since the old station on Wilton Road closed.
Philip Wilkinson, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire, has made improving police facilities in Salisbury one of his priorities. He is consulting the public on a new facility at High Post.
Mr Glen said in his Salisbury Journal blog has now made comment on the proposals and finds it ironic that Salisbury once had a station with a custody suite.
He said: "Wiltshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner is consulting the public on a proposal to build a new station at High Post – with or without a custody suite.
"The supreme irony that the police once had a station with custody suite in Salisbury but actively chose to give it up is not in any way lost on me."
Whilst he admits that he understands that the Wilton Road site was under-occupied, expensive to run and in need of updating, he goes on to say, "It was not within my or anyone else’s power to overrule their operational judgement, but I did offer qualified support at the time on the condition that the move did not result in any depletion of services.
"In particular, I asked for Salisbury to retain a custody suite. This, I was promised, would be the case.
"Subsequently, we now know that the police ultimately shelved their search for a site in favour of moving into Bourne Hill Council Offices – a compromise which sacrificed custody facilities but did have the significant advantage of retaining a city centre presence.
"However, the police say they are outgrowing Bourne Hill.
Mr Glen says that he is grateful to the PCC for getting to grips with the issue but said, "But those of us who have lived through the history of this, cannot help but feel wary at the thought of a police station located so far outside the city centre.
"The cost of a new build with all bells and whistles would be eye-watering and it runs the risk of becoming a white elephant.
"To my mind, it is an investment that only makes sense if it addresses all our policing needs in one fell swoop – office space and technology for the use of officers, certainly, but also accessibility for the public, and scope for future adaptation."
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