On Friday I was pleased to attend the full re-opening of Speke Police Station, which while not closed completely has undergone an extensive refurbishment over the last few years. With funding from Police & Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell the station has been transformed into a modern workplace that officers and staff are already saying is a huge improvement on the old building.
The refurbishment means there will again be a fully-operational police station in Speke where local people can report criminal activity or call in when necessary. Although like many modern stations there isn’t a police counter there is a yellow phone outside that residents can use to speak to officers.
This will help contribute to the fall in crime statistics that new Merseyside Chief Constable Rob Carden highlighted when I met him a couple of weeks ago. Although crime remains higher than the national average in Speke officers will now be able to respond faster and with much better facilities to help their work.
There was also a very moving tribute to local PCSO Tommy Highton, a dedicated officer who was well know around Speke for his community policing for over twenty years. As Chief Constable Carden noted, he was a rare individual respected on both sides of the law and it was good to see his family invited along to be presented with a plaque in his honour.