GMP will close almost HALF of its public counters across Greater Manchester, the force has announced.

From the end of February next year, the public will no longer be able to report crimes or problems at ten police stations across the region.

These will be: Altrincham, Chadderton, Fred Perry House (Stockport Council), Horwich, Hyde, Leigh, Middleton, Pendleton, Whitefield and Wythenshawe stations.

Police bosses say that they are being forced to provide best-value for money and say the move reflects how people are reporting more crimes via phone or social media.

But the move has been slammed by one MP who says that the public-facing counters were an important link with the community.

(Image: Mikey/Flickr/ CC)

MP for Wythenshawe, Mike Kane, said: “I’m extremely disappointed. I backed the case to refuse the closure of the counters.

“The Wythenshawe building, in Poundswick Lane, is no longer fit for purpose. It may as well be in an industrial estate if members of the community can’t visit it.

“You could run that operation out of a warehouse. I think people are just used to accepting austerity as the norm. They spent millions of pounds ten years ago on that building, so that it could be a police station at the heart of the community and people won’t be able to visit it.”

The force decided to close 10 of its 22 counters following a review into the way services are being operated at GMP. These are the stations where ‘public demand is the lowest’, according to GMP.

A public consultation was held, which found the 10 counters being considered generated just 18 per cent of demand across the whole of Greater Manchester. The counter at Horwich Police Station saw as little as one member of the public visit per day during the review.

Officer numbers will not change in any of these areas, and the stations will still be used as a base for GMP staff and officers, the force insists.

Members of the public will still be able to visit the police station for pre-arranged appointments.

Assistant Chief Con Rob Potts said: “We’ve worked extremely closely with the people of Greater Manchester while making these decisions, including a full, month-long public consultation and meetings with key communities.

“We’ve also looked at the current service provision in great detail, analysing what we can do to continue to allocate resources appropriately.

“We are transforming policing in Greater Manchester and these changes will help us focus on meeting demand that already exists.

“We need people’s continued support as we make changes to ensure we are focused on keeping people safe and providing the best service possible.

"While counters are being used less and less, we are looking at new ways for people to contact us, including plans for a transformed website that directs people to relevant partner agencies depending on the reason for the visit and a new online chat facility that means people will soon be able to communicate with GMP in real time via the internet.

"These changes are a crucial step in ensuring our services match the needs of the people that we serve.”