Portsmouth Central Police Station reopened to public by police and crime commisioner Donna Jones as part of Hampshire force revamp

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary police and crime commissioner Donna Jones officially opened Portsmouth Central police station today (March 19), which closed its doors to the public in 2019. It will now be open six days a week and provide a front counter service to the public to pop in and report crime. Prior to this, the nearest accessible station was the police investigation centre in Hilsea. The commissioner also opened Park Gate police station, which was shut to the public more than ten years ago, and is now open on Tuesdays,Thursdays and Saturdays. The openings come as part of her plan to improve access to policing for the public.

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Speaking at the Portsmouth station, which has been revamped with a brand new reception desk and waiting area, Donna Jones told The News: “The decision [to close the station] was taken back in 2015 by the previous police and crime commissioner and previous chief officers of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Constabulary, to completely redesign their estate plan. Police stations were closed, custody suites were closed, and a number of front counters were closed in order to save money. But, since I’ve been police and crime commissioner over the three years, I’ve really tried to generate more income, I’ve driven an efficiency drive through the force, and that’s enabled me to open police stations again, and purchase new buildings for brand new police stations.

“I think it’s really important that we have publicly accessible police stations, particularly in the heart of our cities. Portsmouth Central Police Station is undoubtedly the biggest hub - right on the edge of Southsea and right near the university. It’s important that people can come in and speak to the police with concerns, get updates on crimes they have reported, or any information or intelligence they want to feed into the force.”

Jones also highlighted that face-to-face interaction with police is beneficial to members of the public who may wish to share sensitive information.

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She added: “My top three priorities have been: recruiting more police officers - we have now recruited 650 more police officers - there are now more people working in sites like this police station right in the middle of Portsmouth. Secondly, it has been to increase the visibility of the police, so that means having more police station front counters, having the police out on foot, and the chief constable, who has introduced new town centre teams to tackle shoplifting, and again to make the police more visible.

“The third one is getting people connected back to their police service. For me, these are really basic things that taxpayers have a right to expect from their police force.” Police stations are also set to open in Petersfield, Totton, Ryde, Yateley, Eastleigh, Cosham and Gosport.

Chief constable Scott Chilton said: “Being in the heart of our communities allows us to be more effective in providing a visible police presence, keep our communities safe and prevent crime happening. By having more police stations open to the public, we can hear your concerns first hand, proactively target those who are committing crime and ultimately deliver exceptional local policing.

“With the Commissioner’s support, we are putting police officers and staff in the places they need to be and allow the public better access to our services.”