News / Crime
Police defend Trinity Road station closure
Residents of Old Market told Sue Mountstevens there would be a “tragedy” if the existing station is shut and services moved elsewhere in the area
The police and crime commissioner (PCC) has said one of Bristol’s most well-known police stations will not be closed until a replacement site is found.
But local residents of Old Market told Sue Mountstevens that there would be a “tragedy” if the existing station is shut and services moved elsewhere in the area.
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At a public meeting at the Trinity Centre on Wednesday, the PCC and police commander for Bristol came under fire for the decision to close down the Trinity Road station and, in the meantime, reduce opening hours for the front desk at the station.
Ms Mountstevens and Chief Superintendent Jon Reilly said the station would not close until a suitable replacement site was found to transfer a neighbourhood policing team.
The future of Trinity Road station has been bleak after custody services were lined up for transfer to new sites in Keynsham and Patchway.
The PCC has said the force cannot afford to maintain “half empty buildings” with a backdrop of falling budgets.
She insisted there would be “no reduction in the number of neighbourhood officers” and that the visibility of officers in the Old Market area would increase thanks to the changes implemented this year.
But Steve Baker, owner of the Electric Ladyland music shop next to the Trinity Road station and resident in the area for 30 years, said: “Trinity Road is a sanctuary for people. Everyone knows where the station is and they go there for help at all hours. If you close this station there will be a tragedy.”
Retired Bristol police sergeant Paul Hodge went further, saying it would be a “crime” to close Trinity Road station.
“It is a well-known haven for people in a large area, and people need to be able to continue to go there and receive support,” he said.
Meanwhile, campaigners and a local religious leader highlighted the problem now faced by asylum seekers who have traditionally signed on at Trinity Road. The UK Border Agency has now said they need to report to the Patchway station which campaigners say is too far away, too expensive and too difficult for refugees to find.
Ms Mountstevens accepted there was an issue and promised to write to the agency.
But Local councillor Marg Hickman told the meeting: “It is inhuman what we are expecting vulnerable people to do. We need to get all the PCCs to raise this with the Home Office and UK Border Agency. We need to see your compassion here.”
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