THE END of an era for a special and unique place — those were the words of Tavistock Police Station enquiry officer Ray Law as the 160-year-old station prepares to shut its doors to the public next Wednesday (April 13).
Soon the police station itself, the second oldest in England and set amid the ruins of Tavistock Abbey, will be replaced with a new building away from the town centre to meet modern day policing standards but the public will no longer be able to walk in and report crimes.
Staff and members of the public share the view that a part of the community will be lost.
Ray Law joined Tavistock as a station enquiry officer six years ago.
He said:'For a town police station, this office is very busy. We see on average between 25 and 30 people a day and we get everything from reporting lost property to asking for directions and reporting incidents.
'I love the building and I love the job. There is a wonderful character and atmosphere about this place.
'Much of the work of the station enquiry officer is not obvious police work but it is an important part of the community and we have the local knowledge to help people.'
An enquiry office was opened in the 1970s but the police station itself has been there since the 1840s, adjacent to the court room and Guildhall.
The buildings have been acquired by the Devon Historic Buildings Trust, which will preserve them for the future.
People will still be able to make appointments to see a police officer at the station by using the telephone outside the premises.
PC Sarah McCoryn-Green said the station enquiry officers encountered a great deal of front-line policing and managed that exceptionally well.
She said:?'It enables police officers to deal with sometimes more pressing matters.
'There will be a lot more pressure on the officers and the general public will find it a big adjustment — not everybody in the world is familiar with computers or wants to listen to a telephone message.'
Rebecca Young, 41, from Tavistock, said shutting the front desk was a backwards step.
'I lost my ring last week, which I had as an 18th birthday present, and someone handed it into the police station, which I would like to thank them for.
'In the future where can things like this be handed in and where would I go to find it?
'I grew up in this town and there has always been a police station where the public can go. Taking it away takes away the sense of someone being there if you are in trouble.
'The Government talks about getting the feeling of community back and this is taking away a central part of it.'
Tavistock sergeant and leader of the neighbourhood policing team Dave Anning said 700 police officers and 500 police support staff were going as a result of the cuts.
'Obviously, this will limit what we can do and naturally our first priority has to be to ensure that we can respond to emergencies.
'The enquiry officers are a part of the fabric of both the station and the town and will be greatly missed.'
Mr Law will be based at Okehampton and station enquiry officer Jude Slater, who has been at Tavistock for a decade, will be retiring.