An Aberdeenshire police station cannot join the “litany” of Police Scotland offices forced to close by Scottish Government cuts, local politicians have urged.
Aboyne is the latest location under the force’s microscope for closure, with today (Wednesday) seeing the launch of a public consultation exercise.
It could join a long list of North East closures over the past five years, including Portlethen, Peterhead, Seaton, Danestone, Queen Street Aberdeen, Fochabers, Kemnay, and Cruden Bay. Meanwhile, Bucksburn, Keith, Turriff and Rothes remain operational without a public desk.
Local Scottish Conservative representatives Alexander Burnett and Andrew Bowie have called on residents to “speak up for Aberdeenshire” and make their voices heard.
Alexander Burnett MSP said:
“If this litany of North East closures continues, local police presence will diminish. That will end up presented as a cost-saving statistic in a budget somewhere.
“But these are real families and a real community left wondering who will respond when they need help.
“People don’t know whether phoning to report a crime is actually going to be followed up.
“So having that presence in the area, physically seeing local policing and getting to know officers, is invaluable.”
Andrew Bowie MP said:
“We know the police are trying their best while the estate is rotting with no support from the Scottish Government whatsoever to keep people safe.
“So it’s vital that people from across Deeside let Police Scotland know this station is an essential part of local policing.
“They can do that by filling in responses, speak up for Aberdeenshire, and the force can pass that on to SNP Minister Angela Constance where the buck stops.
In Case You Missed it:
“Aboyne and the wide area surrounding can’t be allowed to become a policing desert.”
The Scottish Police Federation have warned for years about the state of police stations in Scotland, and chairman David Threadgold previously said underfunding has led to ‘policing deserts’ across Scotland.
There have been 169 Scottish station closures since the creation of the single force in 2013, with 29 in the last two years. Four “new” stations in Maybole, Linlithgow, Ayr and Alloa moved in with new-build campuses.
