FRONTLINE police have warned a local MSP and former shadow justice secretary that a new  station in Greenock will prove a 'disaster' unless there are guarantees about what services it will provide.

The Telegraph revealed last week that Police Scotland plan to close the current Rue End Street HQ, which needs at least £6m worth of upgrades, but they are yet to identify a replacement, with a consultation exercise being launched.

A widely-respected former area commander has outlined a number of questions about the controversial plan while members of the public and politicians have also raised concerns and a petition has also been set up opposing it.

Retired ex-superintendent Debbie Reilly fears if the move gets the go-ahead arrested people could be taken to Glasgow, 'depriving Inverclyde of officers for many hours as they transport prisoners to custody suites elsewhere'.

She says closing an entire office and custody suite with no detail on the alternative could 'significantly harm public trust and confidence in policing in Inverclyde'.

The issue of whether a new station will have a proper, 24/7 public counter has also been highlighted.

Now Greenock-born MSP and former Holyrood frontbencher Jamie Greene has publicly disclosed the misgivings of rank and file current officers about the situation.

Greenock Telegraph: Jamie Greene MSP

The Conservative man said: "Officers are telling me that a new Greenock police station with no front desk, no 24-hour emergency response or no holding cells would be a disaster.

“Whilst no one disputes that a new emergency services hub would be modern and welcome, it must also be fit for purpose.

"This means it must contain cells for safely holding those arrested to avoid lengthy round trips for officers taking people to Govan or Clydebank, which many frontline officers have serious reservations about.

“Modernisation must not come at the expense of sensibility or productivity."

At a briefing for local elected officials held this week, senior officers indicated that it could be 18 months before the current station shuts, and council leader Stephen McCabe has pledged that there will be 'robust' political scrutiny of whatever is brought forward by force chiefs.

Inverclyde's MSP Stuart McMillan today backed the force's plan, describing the existing station as 'no longer fit for purpose'. But he also criticised how the force had handled the announcement and the way it opened the consultation.

The SNP man said: “To me, the prospect of it [the current station] being closed and local officers working out of a modern station is a positive development.

“Police Scotland need to accept fair criticism here that the way this story has developed could have been handled much better, however, them discussing a new station for Inverclyde should not come as a surprise. It is also right that questions need to be asked about the facilities at a new location."

Mr McMillan says he also wants to see a custody suite retained at a new station.

The MSP said: “We are at an early stage of the consultation process, so early in fact that the specific consultation for Greenock has not been launched on the Police Scotland website yet.

"This is a failing from Police Scotland in this process, however, petitions and political posturing are already taking place to save, it would appear, a building that is long past its sell by date.

“I’ll focus on reassuring local people that Inverclyde will continue to have a local police station. In addition, as Greenock Police Station has what is deemed to be ‘medium’ footfall at the front counter, I’ll be looking to ensure that a new station has an open front counter for people to call at when they need.

“My hope is that the local population may consider a new police station as a positive development for Inverclyde instead of a negative.”