Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Jayne Baxter has hit out at proposals to close Cardenden’s police station to the public.
Meanwhile, East Neuk and Landward councillor Elizabeth Riches has claimed the proposed lack of a police counter service for the area was a retrograde step for local communities.
Of 14 stations in Fife, 12 face having their opening hours reduced, with six being closed to the public entirely. Only two Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy will face no changes in their opening hours.
The Labour MSP said she was extremely disappointed to hear the plans, which could see Cardenden’s public counter close entirely.
“Every public body is having to make difficult decisions about cuts and make savings forced upon them by the SNP Government in Edinburgh but it is not yet clear to me whether there will be suitable alternatives provided by Police Scotland for the communities affected by these cuts,” she said.
“Police Scotland have admitted they don’t have the IT network to support modern service delivery, so surely we should stick to some tried and tested methods of contact with the public if we don’t have suitable alternatives in place.
“For some time now, Cardenden has had a part-time police station but soon it won’t be open to the public at all.
“Cardenden is losing its public counter but it wasn’t even included in the study which guided these proposals.”
Ms Baxter, who has written to the justice secretary expressing her concerns, added what was needed was a formal, public consultation on these plans.
“People need to be assured of the safety of their communities and know where they can go to reach a local police officer,” she said.
Meanwhile, Mrs Riches is worried the police presence available for the East Neuk was becoming more and more distant.
“Our officers now start and finish their shift in St Andrews and our community officers are likely to do the same in the near future. This must cut down the available time for policing where we need a police presence.
“To hear of the latest proposals to cut the police counter service at the police station in Anstruther is most worrying.”
She claimed a survey measuring visitors to the station found on average two members of the public used the counter service per day, compared to more than 200 who contacted the police by other means.
“However, I could not establish when the survey took place but I was told that it lasted for 10 days only,” she said.
“I am amazed at such a short timescale for a survey of this sort.
“I fear we are on a slippery slope of eventually losing not just our officers sited in the East Neuk and our counter service likely to go but we will see the closure of the police station all together, with all action from either St Andrews or Leven.
“We have already heard of the suggestion that one chief inspector will cover the Leven and north-east area. I worry that statistics with little basis are being used to make decisions on future policing.
“The East Neuk population may not appear large but what cognisance has been taken of the fact that each of our villages has at least one large caravan park and we have very many holiday homes that are rented out, so our population numbers swell considerably during the summer months?
“Our low crime rates are the result of good, decentralised policing. What is being proposed is centralisation of the worst sort that has the risk of undoing years of carefully-developed policing.”