Options for a new police base in Corby under 'urgent consideration', says police and crime commissioner

There are growing calls for a station to reopen in Corby

By Nadia Lincoln

Northamptonshire Police leaders have said the force is “urgently considering” different options to provide a new policing base in a major town.

Calls have been made recently by the town’s MP Lee Barron to restore a station to one of the county’s largest towns, after several years without a permanent weekday presence. And on Thursday the Labour group on North Northamptonshire Council will put forward a motion asking Northants Police to address the “clearly insufficient” service.

In a statement provided to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) police, fire and crime commissioner Danielle Stone said:

“I want our police to be more accessible and visible in the town to prevent crime and put them at the heart of the communities they serve.

“Providing that visible presence is a key priority of my public safety plan for Northamptonshire and my recent visit to Corby with the Chief Constable reinforced how important that is. To deliver that Plan, we are urgently considering a variety of different options to provide a new base for policing in Corby.”

Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet added:

“I am totally committed to strengthening neighbourhood policing across the county. I know that local police officers have worked hard and built great relationships with the community in Corby, that was clear to me when I visited again recently.

“I will make sure that we have the right resources in the town to enable them to have the most positive impact on crime, anti-social behaviour and reassurance.”

It comes as the council will ask the county’s chief constable to bring back a dedicated station. The local Labour group has accused the current police hub of being “not good enough” for residents.

Since police officers moved out of their former station in Elizabeth Street to the Corby Cube in 2017, the part-time hub is only open to the public two days a week between 10am and 4pm. The town, which is growing rapidly, is also without a magistrates court.

The former Corby Police station on Elizabeth Street.

The motion, proposed by the local Labour group’s Cllr John McGhee, reads:

“Corby has a population of going on 70,000 people, the crime rates are at present unfortunately high. This situation for a town of Corby’s size and indeed the unfortunate level of crime and anti-social behaviour is not good enough.

“I am sure we all recognise the magnificent work our police do and fully support them; this is by no means a criticism of our diligent frontline officers. This motion recognises the council’s important community safety role and our direct responsibility and influence for the safety of our residents.

“We ask that the Chief Constable review resources and set up a police station and a resolute response unit which can meet the demands of our communities in and around Corby as soon as possible.”

Last month, Corby MP Lee Barron wrote to Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet to urge him to support an uplift in Corby’s policing provision and set up a police station.

Lee Barron MP wants a police station in Corby.

Speaking to LDRS after he was appointed as top cop in January, Mr Balhatchet said that he ‘struggled’ in thinking that previous decisions on closing stations such as Corby and Kettering were “the right thing to do”. He added that one way he would look to rebuild trust in the force was to make officers more visible and accessible to the public.

The Corby police station closed in 2017 under Conservative Police Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold, along with a number of other stations across the county including in Kettering, Rushden and Towcester. Operations switched to the new state-of-the-art Weekley Wood Justice Centre police base off the A43.

A Northants Police spokesperson said they expect to consider how the force can proceed with the policing base proposals by the end of March.