Calls for return of town centre police station

A police station needs to move back to the centre of Shrewsbury to deal with anti-social behaviour, several businesses have said.

Town Council members have voted to begin discussions with West Mercia Police about reintroducing a police station in the heart of the county town, five years after it closed.

The motion was raised by Liberal Democrat councillor Alex Wagner who said "record-breaking footfall" meant busy shopping streets needed a larger police presence.

West Mercia's Police and Crime Commissioner, John Campion, said he had seen first hand the active patrols and visible policing in Shrewsbury town centre, including hotspots.

Lisa Chamberlain, who works at jeweller CW Sellors, however, said move a police station back into the town centre would be a good way to address anti-social behaviour.

"[There is] loud, abusive behaviour and the rubbish they leave behind, like dirty needles," she said.

She said a town centre police station would mean officers would be "on our doorstep, where we need them".

A police station had previously been located in the centre of Shrewsbury since the 19th Century.

But the force moved out of its buildings in the now demolished Riverside shopping centre in 2020, to make way for Shropshire Council's redevelopment of the area.

Monkmoor, more than 2.5 miles (4km) to the north-east of Shrewsbury, is West Mercia Police's main base in Shrewsbury.

Wagner's motion, raised at a town council meeting on Monday, does not mean a new police station is coming any time soon.

But it means the authority will now investigate how practical - and how expensive - the idea would be.

Wagner believes Shrewsbury's layout is one of the reasons why a dedicated town centre station is needed.

"The geography of the [river] loop and the railway bridges makes it really hard [for officers] to get to and from Monkmoor at peak times when it's busy, even with blue lights on," he said.

When challenged on whether Shrewsbury should have two different police stations, he said the town needed to "prepare".

"Shrewsbury is getting busier, it's getting more popular for businesses, for visitors, and there's more development, more residents," he said.

Shrewsbury Business Improvement District (BID) also believed shops would benefit from a second police station.

Executive director Seb Slater said the town centre was "a really safe place" but "we can always make it safer".

"There is some low-level shoplifting and some anti-social behaviour," he said.

He added a new police station would give shopkeepers confidence in police being on hand and deter potential shoplifters.

"It's a win-win for everyone."

Although he would not be drawn on calls for a town centre police station, Campion said visible patrols had been used extensively to combat crime.

"This disruption tactic has been used approximately 2,700 times across Shropshire since its inception in 2023," he said.

"I know there are challenges, which is why the chief constable and I will continue to review accordingly to ensure the force is able to address the issues that are affecting Shrewsbury."

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.