Benllech police station closure plan 'disappointing'

Benllech police station has not been staffed since 2019

Plans to close a seaside village police station on Anglesey have been met with disappointment from local politicians.

North Wales Police say the £7,500 annual cost of running the station in Benllech means it is no longer viable.

Senedd member Rhun ap Iorwerth said it was "disappointing" while actor Julian Lewis Jones, who grew up nearby, says the area is busy in summer.

Police and crime commissioner Arfon Jones said the nature of crime and policing had "changed dramatically".

"Officers are no longer sitting in conventional offices in police stations dealing with conventional crime," he said in a letter to Mr ap Iorwerth.

"More and more officers need digital skills and equipment to enable them to provide a high quality service to the public."

Mr Jones said the force needed "to keep pace with the digital revolution", able to tackle cyber threats while enabling officers to remain "visible within their communities".

Benllech's population swells in the summer, say opponents of the closure

The police community support officer (PCSO) based at Benllech was relocated to Llangefni last year, and the force plans to close the station at the end of September.

Mr ap Iorwerth said the decision was a reminder of the case for Wales to have power over policing and justice to meet local needs.

"There has been no counter service there for some time, but the station's presence in the community was important," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Justice League and Invictus actor Julian Lewis Jones, who grew up in nearby Brynteg, called it "bad news" for the community, saying Benllech had a big population for a village, especially over the summer.

Meanwhile, Ynys Mon MP Virginia Crosbie said she had been assured that the police "will maintain a presence in another public building in Benllech so that they can continue to work closely with the community there".

The village library and fire station have been suggested by the force as suitable bases.