FEWER criminals will be arrested and taken off the streets of Inverclyde if the district is left without a custody suite of cells following the feared closure of Greenock police station, a retired former superintendent warns today.

Andy Murdoch, 55, hit out at Police Scotland's language in referring to a 'custody solution' for Greenock, which currently has 57 cells used in relation to thousands of incidents each year.

Mr Murdoch - who is supporting the Telegraph's Protect Our Policing campaign - said that our district could be deprived of up to four police vehicles at a time at weekends if there are no cells left here.

He said: "I really fear for Inverclyde.

"I think they'll be trying to stop the number of people being arrested and will be using 'direct measures'. 

"Unless someone has to go into the cells, they will be issued with a fixed penalty ticket. 

"You can't give people tickets for anti-social behaviour, which will be what's happening at the weekend. 

"Every one of the cells in Greenock is filled most weekends, and it's not getting any quieter here.

"James Gray [Police Scotland's finance chief] has only talked about a 'custody solution'.

A guarantee of a custody suite in any new police station for Inverclyde is a key demand of our campaign, which has also been backed by former area commander and superintendent Debbie Reilly.

We are also calling for a public-facing front counter, open 24 hours every day, and CID, community policing and response policing all retained in Inverclyde at their current levels.

Greenock Telegraph:

Mr Murdoch, who has lived in Inverclyde all his life and grew up in the Bow Farm area of Greenock alongside friend and former colleague Ms Reilly, said people arrested here could have to be taken to Clydebank, Govan or Saltcoats to be processed.

He pointed to an HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland report which revealed that in 2017/18, a total of 3,500 people were held in custody at Greenock police station. 

READ MORE: Inverclyde people back Tele Protect Our Policing campaign

Mr Murdoch, who lives in Wemyss Bay, said: "If four people are arrested in the centre of Greenock on a Saturday night, and no cells are available at the station, four cars would be taken away from the area. 

"If there's a mental health concern, a custody sergeant will have to go to the hospital as well. 

"There will be huge knock-on effects from this on the ground. 

"I'm acutely aware of the changes in resourcing here and I know that officers from other areas are regularly being brought to cover in K division at the moment."

During his policing career, Mr Murdoch worked in Johnstone, Saltcoats, Irvine, Kilmarnock, the Gorbals and at the former Strathclyde Police HQ in Pitt Street, Glasgow. He was also stationed at the command and control centre in Govan.

He supports the idea of a co-located environment, which would see police, fire, ambulance and potentially NHS services all working in the same building - providing it is done properly.  

Mr Murdoch said: "It definitely does work and I've seen a lot of brilliant examples of it. 

"Staff would all be in the same office and would be able to talk about incidents in real time. 

"There's a lot of potential for really effective problem solving."

Mr Murdoch says he is sympathetic towards Inverclyde's police chiefs as they've been given a strategy that's 'not their doing'. 

He added: "I worked with a lot of people who are now in senior positions in Inverclyde. 

"I've lived here all my days, so I know a lot about it. 

"I know how parochial things can get here. 

"I feel for people doing the job here and I know how difficult it is for them."

You can sign the Telegraph's Protect Our Policing petition here.