Paul SeddonPolitical reporter
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The Liberal Democrats want every police force in England and Wales to open counters in venues such as supermarkets, shopping centres, and libraries.
The party says the move would boost public confidence in policing and make it easier for people to report crime and share information.
It says the costs of the increased presence could be covered by scrapping police and crime commissioners (PCCs), the elected officials that oversee forces.
The party has announced the policy at the start of its four-day annual conference, which begins in Bournemouth on Saturday.
The Lib Dems say their own research has revealed a “shocking” decline in the number of front counters, which are typically located inside police stations, over the past decade.
In a speech, Hazel Grove MP Lisa Smart, the party’s home affairs spokesperson, will argue that “too many people say they never see a police officer” after cuts under the previous Conservative government.
But she will also accuse Labour of offering “little more than pointless soundbites” on community policing during its year in power so far.
The party has not specified exactly how many new counters should be opened, but its “police desk promise” would see at least one counter opened in every local council area across England and Wales.
It says the costs of the scheme would be covered by scrapping police commissioners, which the party has previously estimated cost over £100m in the four years to 2023, cash which it has also earmarked for rural crime teams.
The Labour government has announced plans for PCC responsibilities to be taken on by a new wave of elected mayors in the coming years.
‘Few people’
The Lib Dems say the desks would not fulfil all the functions of police stations, but would allow members of the public to share information and report crime.
This would mean they have a more extensive role than engagement centres or pop-up desks typically used by neighbourhood police teams, which are sometimes set up in places such as libraries and community centres.
Some forces have also experimented with installing touch-screen terminals in supermarkets in order to boost crime reporting rates.
Almost half of London’s remaining station front counters are set to close in an attempt to save costs. The Metropolitan Police began closing front counters in 2013.
The capital’s Labour mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan had previously pledged to retain at least one 24-hour counter in each of the 32 boroughs.
But last week he said he had changed his mind, arguing that counters were only used by “very few people” and the £7m savings generated by the cuts would be better spent on an improved command and control centre.
It comes as Lib Dem activists gather in Bournemouth for the party’s autumn conference, which will culminate in a speech on Tuesday by leader Sir Ed Davey.
The party, which won a swathe of Tory-held seats at last year’s general election to take its number of MPs to 72, is expected to use the event to try to appeal to more liberal-minded Conservative voters by presenting itself as the party of understated patriotism.
Party strategists believe this could help the party open up opportunities to take further seats off the Tories in areas such as Surrey, Hertfordshire and Devon.
However, the party also faces a battle for attention in an increasingly fragmented political landscape, with Reform UK topping opinion polls, new leadership at the Green Party, and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn promising to set up a new political party.