POLICE Scotland has admitted to failing to act in accordance with the law in response to a freedom of information request which had been prompted by the planned closure of its Greenock station.

The force has apologised to the general secretary of the Alba Party, and former Inverclyde councillor, Chris McEleny for not responding to questions within the timeframe set out in legislation.

Greenock Telegraph: Greenock Police Station

Mr McEleny had asked for figures from Police Scotland regarding the use of the current custody suite in Greenock following the launch of the Telegraph's Protect Our Policing campaign.

He sought figures on the number of arrested people taken into custody at the station, how many were charged and also the level of overnight stays in local cells between January 1 and December 31 last year.

When the response was finally acted on it was revealed that almost 3,000 of those detained were held in the custody suite overnight.

Police chiefs are proposing to shut the Rue End Street station and move to another building, but uncertainty remains about the future provision of a custody suite.

Former senior officers have warned that Inverclyde will be deprived of frontline officers for several hours at a time if arrested people require to be taken outwith the district to be processed.

Greenock Telegraph: Chris McEleny

Mr McEleny said: "That Police Scotland have apologised for themselves failing to act lawfully is quite something.

“However, these statistics that have been dragged out of them show that no rational politician could ever support the closure of Greenock Police Station unless, and until, a like-for-like replacement station is built in Greenock."

Police Scotland admitted failing to respond to Mr McEleny within the established 20 working day timescale, adding: "Your request has not been handled in accordance with the Act. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused."

Mr McEleney submitted his original FOI request on December 13 last year. He than modified his request on January 17 after receiving feedback from Police Scotland. The force finally responded with the information asked for on March 7.

It revealed that a total of 1,008 people were charged at Greenock Police Station last year.

Of the 4,944 people taken in to custody - a figure revealed in the Tele earlier this year - 2,805 were held over night.

Overnight stays are classed as those who are detained before midnight and do no leave custody until after 4am.

A total of 2,379 detainees were held for a court appearance the next day, though not all were necessary for Greenock Sheriff Court.

Mr McEleny added: "If Greenock Police Station closes, these previously concealed figures show that Inverclyde would go without any police officers on duty within Inverclyde as tens of thousands of officer hours will be used transporting people to Glasgow or Saltcoats for an available custody cell.

“This will result in there being no police presence in Greenock on a weekly basis. This is simply unacceptable. Police Scotland must think again.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Police Scotland inherited a very large and ageing estate, much of which was not fit for purpose, with high maintenance costs and environmental inefficiencies.

“Greenock police station was built 50 years ago and although state of the art for its formal opening in 1975, it is simply no longer suitable for modern policing.

“We are legally required to provide a custody provision which is consistent with our human rights obligations and mitigates risk to vulnerable persons held in custody, and this will naturally incur costs.

“As such, necessary repairs and investment have been made over the years to the custody suite at Greenock in order to ensure that the building was fit for purpose and met health and safety requirements. Failure to invest could have compromised our capability to safely accommodate those in our care.

“While we are consulting on the potential disposal and relocation of Greenock Police Station, 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. Practical matters, such as a custody provision and public counter service will naturally form part of our considerations.

“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 consultation for Greenock is open until Sunday, 31 March, 2024.”