New Devonport police front desk aims to improve access to services

Police say the new front desk will help improve access to victim services

A new front desk at a police station in Plymouth will help support residents after "horrific events in recent years", a police boss says.

Alison Hernandez, Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall, said the new facility at Devonport Police Station would help improve access to victim services.

It adds to the four other police front desks that reopened in 2022.

Ms Hernandez said five more would reopen by the end of this year.

In August 2021, nearby Keyham experienced a mass shooting after gunman Jake Davison killed five people before turning the gun on himself.

Ms Hernandez said some residents in the city "have experienced or been affected by some horrific events in recent years".

She said funding from the Home Office to support policing in the city after the shooting was "starting to reduce".

"We want to give them something else to show them a legacy investment that's happening," she said.

"[People] are now going to be able to go in and speak to a person face-to-face, feel listened to and feel secure in those surroundings as well."

'Variety of options'

Front desks in Looe, Okehampton, Honiton, Ilfracombe and Kingsbridge will open by the end of the year.

The force shut 11 police inquiry offices across the two counties in 2014 as a cost-saving measure.

However, it is the first time Devonport Police Station has had a front desk.

Acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell said: "We appreciate that people prefer to engage with the police in different ways.

"Some like doing things online, others over the phone and some face-to-face, so it is vital that we provide a variety of accessible options to our communities."

The front desk will initially open Monday to Wednesday but it is planned to open six days a week after the completion of refurbishments early in 2024.