Congleton's smallest form of local government have opposed proposals to shut Congleton Police's helpdesk, and have encouraged residents to do the same.

A survey is currently being held by Cheshire Police, which could spell the end for the in-person Congleton helpdesk at Market Square's Congleton Police Station.

Five days before the public consultation closes, Congleton Town Council have rejected Cheshire Police's idea of closing the front desk at Congleton Police Station.

The council is urging residents to have their say before the consultation ends on Sunday March 27 2022.

Congleton is one of eleven possible helpdesk closures in Cheshire, leaving just five in-person help desks open in our county.

In a statement issues on Monday, Congleton Town Council rejected the idea of closing the front desk in Congleton on the following grounds:

"1. On Page 11 of the Police and Crime Commissioner Consultation it states, "Improve public contact", the help desk clearly provides this service, which is simple and reliable, the 101 system is not reliable in many situations

"2. On Page 21 you ask you about how you prefer to get in touch with the police to ensure our public contact methods reflect public need and 'there are a broad range of contact options available.' and "I will continue to invest in neighbourhood policing to ensure there is a visible police presence in all our communities.

"Surely taking away the help desk reduces the broad range of options as well as visibility.

"3.The front desk effectively triages people coming in – many of the people are not necessarily reporting incidents that end up becoming police statistics, but if the officer wasn't there these would either be missed or would take up time from the beat team to report rather than being the public face of the police within our community.

"4. The front desk is also where people who have to report to as part of bail, CBO or other orders - using a phone outside the Police station to speak to Winsford, who will then need to find someone in the Congleton Station to see them, this appears to take up additional resource leaving the residents outside of the police station not aware what is happening. – not consumer friendly

"5. Many of Congleton's older and more vulnerable members of society

see the front desk as essential. "The 101 system is clearly not a reliable method in terms of the time it may take. This is more of a problem for the elderly who may also find it difficult to report online, therefore their needs are not being met which is an issue for inclusivity "6. The front desk offers a perceived sanctuary to those that unfortunately feel physically threatened, as reporting these issues on a phone is not always possible." In the consultation Cheshire Police is recommending keeping open five front desks at Blacon, Crewe, Warrington, Widnes and Macclesfield police stations. Closure faces Congleton, Chester Town Hall and at Ellesmere Port, Winsford, Stockton Heath, Penketh, Runcorn, Wilmslow, Knutsford and Nantwich. It is not yet known if those employed on the Congleton helpdesk will be offered new jobs within Cheshire Police. Congleton Town Mayor, Councillor Denis Murphy said: "If you have an opinion about the front desk at Congleton Police Station, please make the time to give your views by the March 27. "I fear that a lack of response will be taken to mean that people in Congleton are not concerned about the closure of the front desk. "I do not believe this is the case and I am pleased that the Town Council has written to Cheshire Constabulary giving its opinions and reasons why the front desk should remain open." Earlier this month, Congleton East Councillor Rob Moreton compared the proposed closure of the helpdesk to the now defunct Congleton tip, and encouraged residents to fill the survey in. Technology was cited as reasoning by Cheshire Police for the closures, which the force believes will not affect negatively crime in Congleton. Speaking in February, Assistant Chief Constable Bill Dutton said: "I would like to reassure the public that these proposals will not reduce the level of service or the current police presence in Cheshire. "Our operational teams and where we deploy our police officers and police community support officers from are unaffected. "We have noticed that more people than ever are now choosing to report crime and interact with police online or via a mobile device, and as a police service we have to adapt to these changes in our society. "It is important to reiterate that we are not proposing to close any police stations, and although some helpdesks would close under these proposals, these will be substituted by regular Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) surgeries." Congleton: Fill in the consultation here. Congleton: Have you signed up for our Friday weekly newsletter? It contains each week's top 10 Congleton news stories, and one FREE exclusive article? 3700 of you have signed up already. Simply enter your email address in the shaded box below or on this link. Free from pop-up ads, or unwanted surveys, Congleton Nub News is a quality online newspaper which produces 15-20 stories a week for our town. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter.