To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2008, Official Report, column 389W, on police stations, how many police buildings have been (a) opened and (b) closed in each year since 1997, broken down by police authority area. (189368)

The management of the police estate and allocation of resources are matters for each police authority and the chief officer, who are responsible for assessing local needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2008, Official Report, column 389W, on police stations, what changes in the use of police buildings have taken place in the last five years. (189369)

The use of police stations has changed in recent years to reflect more modern policing. Many forces have now devised innovative ways of increasing their accessibility to members of the public by using other more modern methods of interaction, such as police shops in high streets, police kiosks and by use of mobile police stations—particularly in rural areas.

The management of the police estate and allocation of resources are matters for each police authority and the chief officer, who are responsible for assessing local needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2008, Official Report, column 389W, on police stations, how many police buildings there were in each police authority area in each year since 1997. (189370)

The management of the police estate and allocation of resources are matters for each police authority and the chief officer, who are responsible for assessing local needs.