A police force has been given the go-ahead to close all but four of its stations to the public. Wiltshire Constabulary hopes to save £500,000 a year by replacing the public inquiry desks with local “contact points”.

However, critics claim that the contact points, which will be manned by uniformed officers, may be open for only a few hours a week, forcing people living in rural areas to travel up to 50 miles to the nearest proper station.

The cost-cutting measure was approved at a meeting of the Wiltshire Police Authority. It means that only four public inquiry offices, where motorists can produce their documents and residents can report stolen bikes and missing pets, will remain open. They are at the force headquarters in Devizes, and stations in Swindon, Melksham and Salisbury.

Eight inquiry offices in other towns including Chippenham, Malmesbury and Marlborough will close. Although the stations will still exist, there will be no access for the public.

Paul Howlett, Wiltshire’s Acting Assistant Chief Constable, welcomed the decision. He said: “The number of people who visit many of our inquiry offices has fallen dramatically over the decades to a point where we cannot justify continuing to spend the total of £1.2 million of taxpayers’ money in keeping them all open. In some of these locations, only a couple of people a day ever call in.”

However, the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, as well as unions representing civilian police workers and local MPs, have expressed concern.

The 30 contact points that will replace closed inquiry desks are likely to be small booths in high streets and shopping centres but with limited opening hours compared with police stations.

Cath Hollands, chairman of Wiltshire Police Federation, said: “I fear this is the thin end of the wedge towards closing and selling off police stations. These contact points are only going to be open a couple of hours a day whereas the inquiry offices are open around 12 hours.

“The 999 response teams will be more centralised and the one or two officers at contact points aren’t going to be equipped to deal with anything serious. As a member of the public, I would be extremely concerned at these changes.”

A spokesman for the Police Federation of England and Wales said: “This is a growing national trend. Forces are under pressure to save money but it’s a false economy.

“It makes no sense to sack civilian officers to get more money to employ uniformed officers, when they then have to be stuck in these contact points rather than on the beat.”

The closures will also leave many people unable to perform routine tasks at their local station, such as handing in documents or lost property.

Michael Ancram, MP for Devizes and former chairman of the Conservative Party, said: “This is a retrograde step. Local access to police is an important part of having confidence in the police.”

Mr Howlett said that fewer people needed to visit a police station in person. Some inquiry offices had as few as two visitors a day. He said: “I entirely understand why it seems like a withdrawal of service but nowadays if I stop you for speeding, I can check your documents with one call.

“This is not primarily about saving money, it is about creating a police service that’s fit for purpose and the move should actually mean we can get more officers on the street.

“The costs involved in keeping inquiry offices open and the loss of frontline officers as a result can no longer be justified. They are no longer meeting a public demand.”

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