Commissioner shuts down Rubery Police Station closure rumours

WEST Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has moved to allay fears around the future of Rubery Police Station after a local councillor said he was tipped off by sources inside the force that the station would be closing.

Rubery councillor Peter McDonald claimed repeated attempts to contact the PCC to clarify the situation had gone unanswered, adding he had ‘seen evidence of correspondence within the force to shut the station down’.

The PCC, John Campion, shot down the claims, stating his office had no record of contact from Coun McDonald. He urged the councillor ‘to stop fueling an inaccurate rumour’ and said: “To be clear – there is no proposal to close Rubery Police Station. “Causing concern and scaremongering is a well-trodden path for Councillor McDonald.

“My track record reflects a PCC focused on keeping police stations open and directing resources into community policing.” A Freedom of Information request made to the office of the PCC in April 2023 revealed three stations and one motorway post had closed – without being replaced – across West Mercia since Mr Campion first took office in 2016. Broadway station closed in 2017, Much Wenlock and Shrewsbury Town Centre stations closed in 2019, and a motorway post in Frankley was shut in 2020.

Rubery is the base of operations for a large area including Hagley, Cofton, Barnt Green, Lickey and more. Its nearest neighbouring stations are West Midlands Police’s Bournville Lane station and West Mercia’s Bromsgrove Police Station. In response to the PCC’s comments, Coun McDonald told the Standard: “I’m pleased to hear my intervention has pushed the PCC to clarify the station will not be closing.

“To say I’m scaremongering when I have evidence is concerning. “I think an apology is in order from the PCC.” Despite ruling out Rubery station’s closure, the PCC did say ‘if such an opportunity arose to share the facility with a partner, or partners, the site will be in the heart of Rubery and would go out for public consultation’.

He added: “To be clear, there is no such proposal at this time.”

The PCC highlighted the new development of a joint police and fire station in Redditch as an example of ‘partnership working to deliver greater value’ for taxpayers’ money.

Coun McDonald believes sharing the station with nearby officers from West Midlands Police, as has been done previously, would do more to improve crime prevention across the two neighbouring regions.