Police Scotland have no offices open 24/7 in Ayrshire

The shock numbers come to light as Argyll and West Dumbartonshire have SIX police stations open all day and night every week.

Changes brought in by Police Scotland in March 2014 saw the times of office opening hours vary and the closure of public provision counters in many offices throughout the country and in Ayrshire.

Ayr, Kilmarnock, Irvine and Saltcoats all were downgraded from being open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to having individual office opening times - with many just providing a 9-5 service.

Irvine Police Office

The offices that have police personnel and the public can go in and speak to people are Ayr, Cumnock, Galston, Irvine, Kilbirnie, Largs and Saltcoats.

Ayr, Irvine and Kilmarnock are open 7am until midnight, 7 days a week.

Cumnock, Galston, Kilbirnie and Largs are only operational Monday to Friday 9am-5pm - which is like many regular jobs.

There are numerous offices up and down the area that have no public counter provision - meaning that the public cannot walk in and see an officer.

Instead they must phone the non-emergency number 101 and make sure their is an officer available to see them in the office that they wish to go too.

Offices in Dalmellington, Drongan, Girvan and Stewarton do not have a counter service, alongside others in the likes of Troon, Kilwinning, Millport and Lamlash.

In total their is only 23 offices in Scotland open 24/7, with six in Argyll and West Dumbartonshire - Campbeltown, Clydebank, Dunoon, Lochgilphead, Oban and Rothesay - three in Lanarkshire and two in the likes of Greater Glasgow and Renfrewshire and Inverclyde as well as others.

There is police presence on the islands of Millport and Arran, despite them not being available 24 hours a day.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “Both Millport and Arran police offices have unique arrangements in place, covering the community policing nature of our service in both island locations. “There is no formal public counter service operated in either location, but members of the public can and do attend at both offices to speak with police and access our service.

“If community police officers are present they will, of course, deal with the matter at hand.

“If the offices are locked and no officers are present, or on duty, there is phone on the wall of each office which enables members of the public to contact police.

“When this occurs officers are contacted to attend at the office or other agreed location to meet the member of the public and deal with the issue.”

Ayrshire Divisional Commander - Chf Supt Gillian MacDonald said: “Following a review of public counter provision across Police Scotland which aimed to provide a consistent and sustainable service that enhances and protects frontline services, cognisant of required budgetary savings, local consultation was undertaken regarding the demand for public counter services across Ayrshire.

“Taking into consideration factors such as how the public contact the police and how this has changed and continues to change, including introduction of the 101 non-emergency number, our managed appointment (diary) service, use of Crimestoppers, email and social media, opportunities were identified to modernise our approach to the delivery of public counter services, aligned to current local demand.

“Since March 2014, public counter services have been available 0700 hrs - midnight, 7 days a week at Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine police offices, 0800 - 1800 hrs, 7 days, at Saltcoats Police Office and 0900-1700 hrs at Kilbirnie, Largs and Cumnock Police Offices. “Members of the public are still able to attend at these police offices to speak with police officers and our support staff who will deal with their concerns and help resolve issues.

“ We also continue to work with partners locally to look at alternative ways and locations where the public can access our services. A good example of this is our new operational base, within the Community Hospital at Girvan, where local officers are co-located alongside NHS and Scottish Ambulance Service colleagues, where members of the public are able to speak with police officers and ask for police at the public counter there.

“I remain absolutely committed to delivering the very best in local policing services to communities across Ayrshire and to maintaining Ayrshire’s status as one of the safest places to live, work and visit in Scotland.

“Crime, including violent crime, continues to be reduced across Ayrshire again this year, with fewer Ayrshire residents becoming victims of crime and fewer people and families impacted as a result. Working closely with our partners and local communities we’re placing more emphasis on preventing crime and incidents from occurring in the first place, through our successful partnership Prevention First approach, by intervening early, preventing concerns from escalating and tackling factors that drive crime in our communities.

“I welcome feedback on all aspects of the service we provide and would encourage people to tune into our local social media channels for regular updates on local policing activity in their areas and to give us their feedback.

John Scott, MSP said: "“Over recent years, Scotland’s police service has suffered a wave of police desk closures, call handling centre centralisation and civilian staff reductions, and the result is a situation where there is not a single police station in the whole of Ayrshire that has public access twenty-four hours a day.

“Our local police do a first-rate job with the resources they have and nobody disputes the need to make efficiency savings where possible and sensible, but when public access to police services is restricted in this way, it’s clear the process has gone too far.”

Councillor John McDowall said: "It is regrettable that Police Scotland requirement to achieve budget savings and efficiency measures mean that there are no longer stations in Ayrshire open 24 hours.

"Even worse there are many areas such as Girvan where there is no public counter service at all.

"In order to feel reassured that Police are available 24 hours a day, public access goes a long way to providing that reassurance and it is regrettable that in many areas this is no longer possible.

"However it has to be said that in spite of this, local policing continues to provide an excellent service to the community and will always be there in times of need."

Corri Wilson, MP for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock, said: “This service has been reviewed across Ayrshire and demand for public counter services between midnight and 7am was found to be extremely low. "People needing to access police services are far more likely to use either the emergency 999 line or the non-emergency 101 service than to turn up at a police station in the middle of the night.

“Crime in Scotland is at a 41 year low, with clear up rates at their third highest in the last forty years.

"In Ayrshire fewer crimes are being committed, and I am confident that our local police officers are able to continue helping people feel safer in our communities than ever before.”