Petition to save Bakewell Police Station

A petition has been started to save Bakewell Police Station which is under threat of closure

Fears for the future of the Peak District’s last police station have prompted an ex cop to set up a petition calling for it not to be closed.

With the help of local shops and people, Former PC Sandra Wetton has accumulated around 1,000 signatures in little over a week on a petition to keep Bakewell Police Station, in Granby Road, open.

The Bakewell resident spent 25 years on the force, some of which were based in the station at Bakewell, and her fear is that the outpost could fall prey as Derbyshire Constabulary seeks to make budget cuts.

“Bakewell is a busy place,” she said. “People collapse in the street and its always the police who deal with it.”

Sandra said if Bakewell Police Station closed, policing in the Peak District would be covered by the stations in Matlock and Buxton.

“Matlock is half an hour further away,” she added.

Sandra said that while Bakewell is not seen as an area of high crime, the police station covers a wide area.

“I have worked there and officers just go from job to job all the time,” she said.

The police refused to comment on either the potential closure of Bakewell Police Station specifically or the petition set up to save it.

A police spokesman said: “The force is currently undertaking an intensive priority–based budgeting (PBB) process, which will examine every single aspect of how the organisation operates, in order to identify options for reducing costs and improving efficiency to meet demand and risk in the face of unprecedented financial challenges.

“This approach is fully supported by and in association with the Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Charles.

“By its very nature, PBB will rigorously examine all aspects of the workforce, estate, fleet, working practices etc, but this will be done in a measured, coordinated way to ensure that the difficult decisions that will inevitably have to be taken will be made with a complete picture of how those decisions will impact upon the way in which the force currently delivers policing services to the people of Derbyshire.

“In order to prevent the prejudicing of the PBB process it would be inappropriate and unhelpful for either the PCC or force to comment on any specific elements of the estate until the whole PBB process is concluded, which is anticipated in the autumn of 2014.

“Any decisions taken regarding estates will take into consideration the impact on local communities.”

The petitions are available in various shops throughout the Bakewell area.