A LABOUR councillor is demanding answers from police chiefs about their plans to close Greenock’s station.

Community concern about controversial moves to scrap and replace the Rue End Street HQ have been highlighted in a letter by Councillor Martin McCluskey to Inverclyde and Renfrewshire’s local policing commander, Chief Superintendent Gordon McCreadie.

Police Scotland is currently consulting on its plan to replace the existing station, but the force has been criticised for providing very little detail about what form the replacement will take.

Mr McCluskey says people are worried that a new station will not have a custody facility and has asked the top officers to outline the impact that this could have.

His letter states: 'There is extensive concern in the community about Police Scotland’s proposal to close the Greenock Police Office, with the location of a new site yet to be confirmed.

'There is also growing concern that a new police office will not have a custody suite and, therefore, put at risk the available policing resources in Inverclyde.

'The concern in the community is driven by the loss of policing services that are currently available in Inverclyde… there has been significant loss of services across the public sector over recent years because of budget pressures.

'This has affected every part of the public sector, and too often the impact of centralisation of any public service is felt acutely in Inverclyde, where services have been lost to Glasgow to the detriment of our community.'

Mr McCluskey says a lack of custody facilities in Inverclyde could mean officers being taken out of the area to book in prisoners at Glasgow or Clydebank.

His letter states: 'A round trip to either of these sites would take more than an hour and this does not account for the time taken to go through the process of admitting the prisoner to custody.'

Cllr McCluskey has also asked if removing the custody suite would affect the number of arrests made locally and if it would disrupt the running of Greenock Sheriff Court.

In response to the councillor’s letter, a Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Our consultation on the future of Greenock police station is ongoing.

“We recognise the need for a local policing service for the people of Inverclyde and a police presence in the area will continue, albeit perhaps from another site in Inverclyde yet to be determined.

“Matters such as a custody provision will naturally form part of our considerations.

“A variety of options will be looked at and fully considered to satisfy our policing requirements and available budget.

“Final decisions won’t be made until after the consultation process has concluded and feasibility studies have been completed.

“We would encourage those with a view on policing in the area to take part in our consultation, as their views will help shape our decision making.

“The online consultation on the proposed closure of Greenock Police Station is due to end on 31 March 2024.”

In response to the plans to close Greenock Police Station, the Telegraph has launched a Protect Our Policing campaign, which aims to ensure that the area retains all of its key policing services.

You sign can the Tele's Protect Our Policing petition at http://tinyurl.com/5exmxrta.