I have been closely following the debate about whether the time has come for Salisbury police to move into their own purpose-built station.

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.

When the police decided to give up their Wilton Road station, they had their reasons - it was 50 per cent under-occupied and expensive to run.

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.

I am grateful that, coming fresh to the problem as he is, the PCC has gripped the issue and is investigating the options with commendable thoroughness.

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.

I await the public responses with interest, but my personal instinct is to keep the police as close as practicable to the communities they serve.

For me, a move to High Post is only justifiable if it is the best way to achieve the return of a local custody suite, reducing the time and manpower required to make arrests – and leading directly to more officers carrying out visible patrols and responding to emergency calls.

This week, my constituency engagements have a strong focus on charity.

I am packing boxes and talking to volunteers at the food bank and also visiting the Wilton HQ of global landmine charity, The Halo Trust.