Cost saving exercise will leave the public increasingly vulnerable and workers in fear for futures
GMB Union says plans to close police station help desks across West Yorkshire will cost jobs and put the public at risk
Six police help desks have already shut in the region with further closures possible – and those remaining, operating on reduced hours.
Police support staff who run the help desks are set to lose up to £2,300 in wages if the plans go ahead.
GMB has been fighting these cuts for over 18 months and is calling on West Yorkshire Police to rethink the move, which will cause severe financial hardship to many of its employees as the cost-of-living crisis deepens.
West Yorkshire residents needing to attend a police station are likely to find the doors locked if these proposals are implemented, and instead will be directed to a yellow telephone near to the entrance where they can be put through to a contact centre.
Many of these phones are reported broken which does not generate confidence in the service members of the public are likely to be left with.
A West Yorkshire police employee who asked to remain anonymous said:
“Staff are exhausted as colleagues leave, unable to face the very real potential of cuts to pay,
“But the demand continues to grow.
“Sickness levels are at the highest they have ever been.
“The pressure on us is immense.”
Rachel Dix, GMB Organiser, said:
“To consider removing or reducing this important access to safety and support is criminal in itself.
“The steady erosion of this vital service, even before consultation to bring about changes commenced, is very wrong.
“Public confidence in the police will only grow when their priorities focus on supporting those most at risk.
“Closing doors in this fashion is a backward step. Not just for the public but the professional workforce who currently support them.
“We will continue to work with West Yorkshire Police in the hope that cuts to vital services and to our members' living standards can be avoided.
“In the event that there is no significant change of direction, we will have no alternative but to ballot our members as to the next steps.”
