Police station changes petition handed to police

Bally Singh and Mike Olley hand over the petition at the Birmingham home of West Midlands Police, Lloyd House. (s)

A PETITION calling for a re-think to police station opening hour changes has been signed by 1,200 people.

Campaigners handed the document over to West Midlands Police headquarters in Birmingham at the weekend.

In Coventry, two stations will see their front desk hours reduced dramatically with similar changes seen across the region.

Willenhall station's 24-hour service will change to 10am - 6pm, while Foleshill will see a seven-hour decrease in its service. It would mean Coventry Central would be the only city station open for 24 hours.

The force announced the changes last year and insisted its service would not be effected.

Mike Olley, who hopes to become the new elected Police Commissioner when the role is introduced later this year, handed the petition into police chiefs on Saturday along with Coventry councillor Bally Singh.

The pair have collected petitions from residents across the West Midlands and Mr Olley said he was overwhelmed by the public's support.

"The people who have added their names to this petition come from all walks of life, some of whom are themselves police officers," he said.

"They feel strongly about these proposed cuts and I sincerely hope that the Police Authority will listen to them before any decisions are made."