By the autumn of next year, Bath should have a new police station.
It follows the news that Plymouth House – an empty office block in Monmouth Street – will be refurbished with work starting before the end of this year.
I went along to view the exterior and chat with Mark Shelford, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset Police.
We chatted about the new station, our annual contribution – as council taxpayers – to the force’s budget and the latest efforts by the police to tackle the terrible and tragic rise in knife crime in our region.
Oh! So how much scarce money was spent on converting the One Stop Shop on Manvers St? And, how does B&NES score on ‘Forward Planning’?
I’m hoping this is the first step, in Bath, to giving our Police Force the resources, status and recognition it deserves. I am also hoping that ‘Stop & Search’ powers are restored to them, but without ANY fear of recriminations or harassment by the hand-wringing minority in our community, highly vocal in their ‘isms accusations.
Security is our most fundamental need, and I’m afraid bollards(working or not) don’t deter knife crime – in fact, they don’t deter most crime in Bath.
£7.5m wasted, which could have been used to support our Police Force.
B&NES, please drop the Green, Woke, Climate mantras and re-prioritise security.
Don’t blame B&NES. It wasn’t responsible for the closure of Manvers Street. Maybe blame the last Police Commissioner but, above all, blame the government that has overseen the closure of two-thirds of England’s police stations since 2010.
Good interview. Not a fan of his party but I’ve a lot of time for Mark Shelford. I might even have to vote for a Tory for the first time in May. Great achievement to get Bath’s police station back.
Now what about getting a Tourist Information Office back in the city? Even little Wells manages to support one. I understand there may be a possible space becoming available in Lewis House.