Steve has also presented a petition with over 500 signatories to show the strength of local concern that key services risk being downgraded. There is a growing sense lthat the future of the Wisbech Magistrates Court is under threat following the decision to close the police cells next door, and that some police officers may be moved from Fenland as a result.

The population of Cambridgeshire as a whole and Fenland specifically continues to grow, yet services are being stripped away from our market towns. The Wisbech Magistrates Court and Police Station occupy a prime town centre site. Questions remain whether this site has been earmarked to be sold off for development by Her Majesty's Court Service.

The Police Authority closing the local cells initially dismissed Steve's claims as "a wild version of events". They stated that the closure of cells in Wisbech was purely a health and safety decision. They have since admitted that their aim in two years time is to move prisoners to the new station being built at King's Lynn, and the use of March Police Station is not permanent.

No one doubts that the stairs at Wisbech Police Station carry a potential health and safety risk, although no accidents have been recorded for years. The key issue which has still not been addressed is why new cells are not being built in Wisbech -the police station is next door to the Magistrates Court and more arrests are made in the vicinity of this police station than any other in Fenland. Interesting, despite the current cells being unsafe for police prisoners, the stairs are considered safe enough for them to continue to be used for the same prisoners when they attend the Magistrates Court.

No cost benefit analysis has been carried out by the Police Authority on this move. No discussions have taken place with Fenland District Council regarding using the old Jacks nightclub site adjacent to the police station to provide either parking for police staff or the building of new cells. No health and safety analysis has been conducted regarding the additional risks of transporting prisoners, such as from Chatteris to King's Lynn or Peterborough. No statement has been issued by the Magistrates Court - senior police officers stated they had not discussed the cell closure with the Courts Service dispute the obvious impact on the future of the Wisbech Magistrates Court.

The timing of the decision by the Police Authority was interesting given that this was claimed to be solely a health and safety issue. The closure of the Wisbech cells was announced a week after planning permission was granted for a new police station on the outskirts of King's Lynn in Norfolk. The Police Authority acknowledges that they plan to move to the King's Lynn site in two years time when it opens, although their press release on the closure of the Wisbech cells made no mention of this. The impression remains that this is a two stage closure, with the move softened by a temporary shift of cells to March.

The closure of the Wisbech cells raises serious concerns as to whether it will put at risk the viability of the Wisbech Magistrates Court. Will the Court Service want to pay to transport prisoners to Wisbech? If they are going to transport prisoners, will they opt instead to take them to Peterborough and close the Wisbech Court? The closure also raises questions over the future of detectives currently based in Wisbech - will they instead be based at the same new King's Lynn station where prisoners will be located?

The Police Authority states that not a single officer will move from Fenland to Norfolk. This has been backed up by the Assistant Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire who is reported as saying that the temporary cells going into March have a 25 year lifespan, and will be used a long time. It is important to take such an assurance on trust. We trust therefore that the custody officer to be based in March for the next two years and local detectives currently in Fenland will not move to King's Lynn shortly after it opens.

Steve and local residents in Wisbech remain concerned that the decision to close the police cells in Wisbech is principally about cutting the staff running costs of cells in Fenland (when staff costs can be merged in two years time with Norfolk). The Police Authority have denied this, and also stated that in their view this will not impact on the future of the Wisbech Magistrates Court.

Steve will continue to campaign to ensure we retain Wisbech Magistrates Court. Any move would have serious implications for court witnesses - travelling on public transport from rural villages like Christchurch or Murrow will present significant difficulty when getting to court in Peterborough should proceedings be moved. Transporting prisoners to the King's Lynn police station also has potential health and safety risks given the time such journeys will take along the Fenland roads. Should an accident arise in the future, those who closed the Wisbech cells on health and safety grounds without building new cells in the same location will need to explain.

Steve Barclay outside the police station.


Collecting signatures for the petition.


Steve Barclay and the Conservative team collecting signatures.


Steve Barclay and Cllr Kit Owen present the petition.

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