A NUMBER of police stations across the St Helens borough could close in a major shake-up that will see officers based in libraries and community centres.

Existing buildings are to be replaced by so-called "community stations”, said Merseyside Crime Commissioner Jane Kennedy as she unveiled her £130m blueprint for the future of policing.

Under the proposals, the town’s main College Street station would either be refurbished or replaced with new facilities. 

Newton-le-Willows station would shut and be replaced with a “patrol hub”.

Sutton and Thatto Heath stations would be sold and replaced with one shared community police station.

The Dane Court “cop shop” and Central Street leases would be cancelled. 

Meanwhile community stations already in Rainford, Billinge, Moss Bank, Millersdale and Eccleston would be retained.

The scheme also includes plans for a £26m refurbishment of Merseyside Police headquarters in Canning Place.

During a press conference at Merseyside Police headquarters in Liverpool, Ms Kennedy said the aim of the proposals was about "investing in a service which has become an emergency service of last resort.

"With these proposals we are able to save money and police jobs. It's all about saving money on outdated buildings that are expensive to run and about giving the public access to Merseyside Police.

"At the moment 60 per cent of our buildings are empty or under-used, which is draining away resources that we need to use."

Over the next ten years, £130m will be spent providing community police stations for each neighbourhood and fund a new serious and organised crime centre.

Ms Kennedy, discussing the overall picture across Merseyside, suggested community stations have already proved a huge success in St Helens, reducing anti-social behaviour and improving relationships with the public.

At present, several police officers in St Helens operate out of a community station in Moss Bank library.

The intention is to roll this model out across the region, "providing modern facilities which are regularly open to local people”.

The plans will save £2.5m a year on the cost of running the present police estate – protecting 65 police officer posts each year.

Ms Kennedy will now begin a two-month consultation inviting the public to have their say on the proposals.

She said: "These are hard times, but I am committed to providing accessible and visible policing for every community. I want to invest in modern police stations and save money too.

“Austerity has forced us to review every aspect of the police estate. Merseyside Police has been harder hit than most.

"By 2018, we predict government cutbacks will have forced Merseyside Police to lose 29% of its people – officers, PCSOs and staff.

"Already 60% of our buildings are empty or under used and this is only going to increase."

She continued: “We simply cannot lose so many people without also looking at the buildings and facilities that they use. The current police estate is unsustainable. It is ageing and becoming increasingly expensive to run.

“While these drastic and devastating cutbacks have presented us with significant challenges, we also believe this is a really exciting opportunity to transform the estate – making Merseyside Police even more accessible for the people of our region.

“Merseyside Police’s buildings desperately need to be upgraded. Our stations and facilities are no longer fit to serve the public or fit for the officers, PCSOs and staff that work in them."

Merseyside Chief Constable Sir Jon Murphy said: “It’s fair to say that we have an estate of police stations and office buildings which are not fit for purpose, due to their age and condition, some even date back to Victorian times.

“Some of our existing buildings are in a state of disrepair and badly in need of modernisation.

"There is no doubt that the cost of maintenance for our existing estate has become a drain on our finances and although we have reduced in size as a force in recent years, we still retain the same number of buildings, with space in neighbourhood police stations being under used.

"The longer we leave it – the bigger the problem will become and costs will increase.

“The commissioner is committed to investing money to provide the force with an estate that is fit for purpose, located in the right places to serve our communities.”

During the consultation, Ms Kennedy will be visiting every area of the county, holding public meetings in each local authority area and community roadshows in every policing neighbourhood.

She is also asking readers to have their say through feedback leaflets and via an online site.