Police officers in Eastleigh will leave the station in Leigh Road and relocate to Shakespeare Business Centre

Police officers in Eastleigh will leave the station in Leigh Road and relocate to Shakespeare Business Centre.

This comes after the building in Leigh Road was put up for sale and the front office shut for good in May.

Now the force has confirmed officers will move to the new site in Hathaway Close but, as previously reported, there will not be a front office open to the public.

Council leader Keith House said the council offered to share the front desk at Eastleigh House but the offer was turned down.

He said police needed to be accessible to the public just as much as the health service and local councils and has called for a rethink.

But Police and Crime Commissioner Michael Lane defended the new site and said the move would keep the police close to the centre of Eastleigh.

And he added: “Providing effective and efficient bases for the officers and staff that serve our communities has always been one of my priorities for the role of commissioner, and our service must respond to changing demands.

“This move will keep the police close to the centre of Eastleigh, where they will continue to keep residents safer.”

The new site will provide an interview room, workspace and welfare facilities for 30 officers and staff, parking for operational vehicles and meeting rooms. It has been welcomed by officers.

Chief Inspector Darren Miller, Eastleigh district commander, said: “I am glad that the local neighbourhood team will be able to work in modern, fit-for-purpose accommodation while remaining in the centre of the community we serve.”

Asked when officers would move to the new site, a spokesperson for the force said there was not a confirmed date yet.

She added that the premises at Leigh Road had not yet been sold, but are currently being marketed.

The force said the new office would allow officers to work more effectively with their resources for the local community.

The use of the front counter services in Eastleigh had declined considerably as a vast majority of residents contact the police via phone and online, the spokesperson added.

But Cllr House said: “The police need to be accessible to the public just as much as the health service and local councils.

“Permanently losing a front office presence in the town centre takes us back to the 19th century, and the conservative police commissioner should think again.

“We offered to share Eastleigh House’s front desk but this was turned down.

“Police need to be visible on the streets and available to the public without an appointment.”