A new Community Police Station has opened its doors in Birkenhead town centre, bringing neighbourhood officers closer to the communities they protect.

Merseyside Police Commissioner, Emily Spurrell, has given the green light to a new Community Police Station at The Lauries Centre on Claughton Road. The move will provide a highly visible base for officers and create a familiar, accessible space where residents, shoppers and local businesses can connect directly with their local policing team.

The new facility is expected to boost community policing, increase police visibility and provide reassurance to people living, working and visiting the town centre.

The move will replace the former Community Police Station which was originally based at the Conway Building, providing a modern and accessible facility in a prominent location close to key community services, including Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and North West Ambulance Service facilities.

While the Community Police Station will serve as a local operational base for neighbourhood officers and staff, it will not be routinely open to the public and officers will not be permanently always based there. Instead, it will support flexible neighbourhood policing, providing a central location from which officers can start and finish patrols, engage with partners and meet members of the community as part of planned local policing activity.

The Lauries Centre is home to a wide range of charities, public services, community organisations and businesses. Its tenants include organisations supporting people experiencing homelessness, vulnerable young people, veterans and local families, creating opportunities for stronger partnership working and problem-solving in the community.

The centre has become a focal point for community life in Birkenhead. Bringing neighbourhood policing into the building will further strengthen collaboration between local services and provide residents with easier access to their local policing team.

Merseyside's Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said:- "Community policing is most effective when officers are visible, accessible and embedded within the communities they serve. Establishing this new Community Police Station at The Lauries Centre will provide exactly that. The Lauries is already a thriving community hub, bringing together charities, public services, businesses and local residents under one roof. By locating our neighbourhood policing team alongside these organisations, we can strengthen our partnerships, improve problem-solving and ensure local people have greater opportunities to engage with their police service."

Emily continued:- "This new facility demonstrates our continued commitment to neighbourhood policing and to providing modern, accessible policing bases in the heart of our communities and importantly, it gives officers a central location in Birkenhead from which they can patrol, engage with local people and respond to issues affecting residents and businesses, rather than spending valuable time travelling back to more distant police facilities. We know how important visible policing is to public confidence. This move will help us maintain a strong neighbourhood policing presence in Birkenhead while ensuring our officers have the facilities they need to serve the community effectively. I look forward to seeing this new Community Police Station helping to strengthen the relationship between Merseyside Police and the communities of Birkenhead."

Chief Superintendent Mark Wiggins, Area Commander for Wirral, said:- “The opening of this fantastic facility will help us have a visible presence in a building that has proved a vital and well used asset for the communities of Birkenhead. It is really important that we make ourselves as accessible as possible to our communities and this will enable us to further reassure people who live and work in the area, as well as helping us to develop local intelligence. It will also allow us to engage with the other partner agencies, charities and organisations that use the centre to support people to join up our approach towards reducing crime and antisocial behaviour and making the area safer”

Mark continued:- “The Force Strategy aims to put our communities 1st, ensuring they are at the heart of everything we do, and this will only serve to strengthen our ability to achieve that. The centre will allow an access point for all police officers on the Wirral but particularly the Birkenhead town centre policing team who will now be able to spend even more time in the area they police supporting residents and businesses. Our officers are looking forward to working out of this new base, and invite anyone with concerns, information or questions to pop in and see us.”