SALISBURY Police Station's front counter at Bourne Hill will soon be closed on Sundays with reduced hours on weekdays and Saturdays.

At the moment people can visit the front counter Monday to Saturday from 8am to 8pm and Sunday 10am to 6pm.

But the new hours - to come into force by November 30 - will be 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays. It will be closed on Sundays.

Wiltshire Police said the move was part of the force's efforts to reduce costs by £10 million over the next three years.

And that it wanted to take the opportunity to align opening hours with its council partners, with whom it shares a building and front counter services. 

Superintendent Gavin Williams said: “Changes to our opening hours form part of a strategic review of our estate which is designed to ensure that we are able to meet our commitment to reducing our costs whilst maintaining the highest level of public services to our local communities.

“It’s estimated that these changes will save the Force in the region of £218,000 a year, a significant saving which will contribute to the overall £10 million that we are required to save by 2018.”

“Our officers are already embracing new ways of working using up-to-the-minute technology which is taking them out of the office and into the hub of the community. This is not just a technological shift but a cultural one too.

“More and more we’re bringing our services to the public rather than expecting them to come to us. People are seeing our officers in libraries, coffee shops and council offices, using laptops, tablets, and other mobile devices which allows them to carry out their day-to-day tasks when they’re out and about, remaining visible and accessible to the public.”

Police Commissioner Angus Macpherson added: “To have five enquiry offices open for business during normal office hours and three of those open on Saturday mornings as well seems to me to be a good service at a time of austerity for those people wishing to have face-to-face contact.

“We are also catering for people who want to use their phones to call us, and those with smart phones or tablets who want to contact us online.”