THE furore over the planned closure and replacement of Greenock Police Station shows no sign of abating after a week of intense debate.
The matter has already been raised twice in the Scottish Parliament, former force chiefs and members of the public have expressed genuine concern about it, local politicians too, a petition has been launched and now frontline officers are relaying their misgivings as well.
Former shadow justice secretary Jamie Greene MSP says that he has been told by officers that any new station 'with no front desk, no 24-hour emergency response or no holding cells would be a disaster'.
These points raised by the rank and file get right to the heart of the matter.
It is all very well for current high ranking officers to defend the plan on social media and in private briefings for elected members by stressing that there will continue to be a base locally.
There have even been comments from our own MSP claiming there is 'fearmongering' within the reaction to the proposal.
To be frank, all of this is missing the point entirely.
The closure of Rue End Street in itself isn't the issue - it is what comes next that matters, and the details on that are sorely lacking.
Key questions over the front counter, custody facilities and how officers will spend their time have simply not been answered.
The bottom line is that people here do not want their area to end up with a glorified office base for the police without fully operational station facilities inside it.
Until there are reassurances on these matters Police Scotland will continue to face plenty of questions, whether they or others like it or not.
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