FORMER First Minister Alex Salmond has backed the Telegraph’s campaign to protect police services locally amid uncertainty over the proposed closure and replacement of Greenock station.

The Alba Party leader has thrown his weight behind the ‘Protect Our Policing’ campaign, which was launched earlier this year following the announcement of plans to shut the current HQ on Rue End Street.

The Tele has set out a number of key demands to be met by Police Scotland chiefs in a bid to safeguard local services, which include ensuring that any replacement facility has a permanent suite of custody cells for holding arrested people.

Mr Salmond today backed the campaign as he called for the controversial proposal to either be put on hold, or for clear plans to be laid out about the local station’s future.

He said: “Police stations like all public buildings are subject to review but stations do still matter and especially what have been major divisional headquarters such as in Greenock.

“I cannot imagine a set of circumstances that when I was First Minister, under the watch of then Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, that my government would’ve allowed this to happen when quite clearly there is widespread community opposition.

“On the contrary, as much as policies we brought in such as free education, the free bus pass and free prescriptions were of great benefit to people in Inverclyde, it was the one thousand extra police officers we delivered to the streets of Scotland, which a proportion of were based in Greenock Police Station, that helped Inverclyde and Scotland achieve decades low levels of crime.

“My general secretary Chris McEleny has kept me fully up to date with the Greenock Telegraph’s campaign - as he does all things Inverclyde.

“The needs of policing or of public safety seem secondary to the needs to cut costs and as a result an essential presence to support public safety and community relations in Inverclyde is threatened.

“The proposal must be shelved or clear plans for the building of new enhanced accommodation in Greenock must be spelt out.“

A petition launched alongside our campaign has been signed by over 1,000 people, with many locals telling of their concerns about the force's plan.

Respected ex-chief inspector Debbie Reilly, who was Inverclyde’s area commander until the end of 2020, has also backed the campaign.

She has emphasised the importance of keeping service levels in Inverclyde the same and ensuring that any new location can have custody facilities.

Force chiefs have confirmed there will be a ‘custody solution’ at a new site, but have not been able to elaborate on the nature of it.