Campaign to save Kidsgrove Police Station

A petition has been launched to try to save Kidsgrove Police Station from closure.

In February Staffordshire Police confirmed nine police stations are to close and 260 serving police officers will lose their jobs.

The force is finding ways to save £22m over the next two years.

But Newcastle-under-Lyme Councillor for the area Kyle Robinson said a town the size of Kidsgrove needed a constant police presence.

The Labour Councillor said: "People rely on the police station, it's in the centre of town and we want our officers based in the town and not anywhere else.

"From April onwards we'll have police coming all the way from Newcastle.

'Best possible way'

"We don't want them in community buildings, we want them in police stations."

Bases at Uttoxeter, Lichfield, Rugeley, Wombourne, Stone, Kidsgrove, Newcastle, Burslem and Stoke could close in favour of alternative community sites.

Chief Constable Mike Cunningham said in February he would not be shutting police stations until new sites were found.

This could include sharing buildings or moving into schools, church halls, libraries and shops.

But Mr Robinson said people could lose their privacy if they had to talk to the police in front of others in public buildings.

He said: "People don't necessarily want to go into an inquiry office that's in a supermarket somewhere where all the local people can see you speaking to the police."

Staffordshire Police said in a statement that the force had not made any final decisions and was still considering how to deploy officers in the "best possible way".