Public access to Leicestershire's police stations could be reduced or even ended under the force's latest efforts to save money.
Leicestershire Police is reviewing the usefulness of its stations' front inquiry offices, the Leicester Mercury has learned.
It is now assessing whether to reduce their opening hours or, potentially in some cases, close them altogether.
The process is part of the force's continuing effort to reduce its costs by millions of pounds in line with the Government's public spending cuts.
The staff who work on the inquiry desks help the public with a range of services, from filing crime reports to producing motoring documents when required by law to do so. Some major stations are open to 9pm or 10pm, including weekends, while most of the smaller stations are open until 6pm Monday to Friday.
In the past few years, the force has closed the public offices at stations including Belgrave and New Parks, although officers are still based in the buildings. Many of the civilian staff who run the offices are members of public sector union Unison.
Chris Hanrahan, secretary of Unison's Leicestershire Police branch, said: "There are no firm decisions yet, but we are concerned about the possibility of some job losses if front inquiry offices are closed or the hours are reduced.
"We have to save £20 million over the next two years and, if we are to achieve that, there will be an effect on staffing because we are a 'personnel-heavy' organisation.
"We have already lost 300 police staff members in the past couple of years because of the cuts and there is concern there is more to come. People visit their local police stations for a myriad of reasons, whether it's to report a crime, report for bail, hand in some found property or to produce their motoring documents. So, as well as the potential for jobs, there is also a concern about a possible reduction in public access to the police."
A source told the Mercury: "Front inquiry offices are important and reducing the hours or closing any of them would not be popular with the public. There is also a concern that some of the analysis of use of the front inquiry desks was conducted during the Olympic Games, which was a relatively quiet and low crime period for us."
Marion Lewis, a Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator in Market Harborough, said: "I understand the force needs to save money but I think it would be short-sighted to cut the hours during which people could visit their local police station or close any of these inquiry offices completely."
A force spokeswoman said: "Leicestershire Police has conducted a study into the number of people using its front inquiry offices.
"In some cases, this has shown a decline as a result of a shift in demand due to a number of factors, including new technology which provides alternative methods of contacting the police.''
Current inquiry desk opening times• Blaby, Market Harborough, Oakham, Hinckley Road, Welford Road, Syston and Spinney Hill Park, Monday to Friday, 10am to 2pm, 2.45pm to 6pm.• City centre (Mansfield House), Monday to Sunday, 8am to midnight.• Hinckley, Melton, Coalville, Monday to Sunday, 9am to 9pm.• Loughborough, Wigston, Monday to Saturday, 8am to 10pm, Sunday, 9am to 9pm.• Lutterworth, Monday to Friday 10am to 2pm.• Beaumont Leys, Keyham Lane – Monday to Sunday 8am to 10pm.
