DUNMOW police are in the dock after failing to consult with local councillors on police station operating times. Hours at the old police station on Chequers Lane have been further reduced, breaking promises from the police authority chairman Robert Chambe

DUNMOW police are in the dock after failing to consult with local councillors on police station operating times.

Hours at the old police station on Chequers Lane have been further reduced, breaking promises from the police authority chairman Robert Chambers in April that times would not be changed until a new police kiosk is installed at Dunmow's new library.

The times have been reduced to just two days a week, opening on Tuesday and Saturday at 12noon until 2pm.

Dunmow Town Councillor Wendy Barron said that it was disgusting that the council had not been consulted on behalf of the public. She said: "Thaxted police station is open three days a week and our town centre police station is only open twice. We want to know on what basis was this decision made."

District Councillor for Dunmow north John Davey also commented on the fact that the council had been promised that the police times would not alter after concerns had been aired in April's meeting about how town centre crime was going to be dealt with.

He said: "It is very disappointing to receive this news because the library hasn't even been built yet and still the hours have already been cut, Mr Chambers made that promise, and it has not been kept."

Senior officer at Dunmow police station Inspector Tom Boland said that a survey had been carried out by his officers and that it had indicated that the police station was not being used by the public.

He said: "We have found that the public are using the new police station on Chelmsford Road far more than we expected.

"We have carried out research since the move by writing down the name and time of every person who comes into the station, over the months we have found that on average only one person comes in per day.

"We don't have the cash or the officers to make staffing the old station viable."

Inspector Boland did state that if the public felt that the station needed to be open for more hours in the week they could let the police know and they would certainly consider revising the hours.

What do you think? Write to us 2 Angel Lane, Great Dunmow, Essex, CM6 1AQ or e-mail us at editor@dunmowbroadcast.co.uk.