UNISON Bedfordshire Police branch has condemned the decision to close the control room at Kempston. Under plans to amalgamate police control rooms across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire from March 2017, emergency 999 calls and non-emergency 101 calls from residents in Bedfordshire will be dealt with by operators in either Welwyn Garden City or Huntingdon.
Sarah Crowe, UNISON branch secretary said, “The people of Bedfordshire are best served by local staff and officers with a good working knowledge of the county. We are worried that the closure of the Kempston control room will lead to delays in responding to calls. We believe that local knowledge is the key to dealing with local emergencies”.
UNISON has called for the a public consultation on the closure. Sarah Crowe said, “The people of Bedfordshire pay for their policing through local taxes and expect their calls to be answered in Bedfordshire by staff with knowledge of Bedfordshire. They have not been given the opportunity to give their opinions on this major change to the way calls are dealt with. When will the public be consulted?”
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