THREE of Bury’s police station public inquiry desks are set to close as part of money-saving plans by the force.

Front counters at Radcliffe, Ramsbottom and Prestwich are to close, while the opening hours of Bury central police station’s front desk will be drastically reduced.

Bury’s desk is currently open to the public 24 hours a day and seven days a week, but its hours will be reduced to 8am to 11pm daily if the plans go ahead.

Whitefield police station’s front desk’s hours also be cut, and it will no longer open on Sunday. Instead it will open Monday to Saturday for an eight-hour period between 8am and 6pm.

The closure plans are part of Greater Manchester Police’s drive to save £134 million over the next four years due to government spending cuts.

There are now 55 public desks across Greater Manchester, but 34 of those are due to close, leaving three in Manchester and two in every borough, including Bury.

Chiefs hope the move will save them £1.6 million.

The plans are now subject to a public consultation, and it is expected that the closures will take place in January next year.

Chief Constable Peter Fahy said that, while the closures would be painful for the staff involved, he believed that the reorganisation would improve the service to the public, comparing the new arrangement to the delivery service offered by Argos.

He said: “If you contact us on a non-urgent matter we will give you an appointment time when we can come and see you.”

He added that there are now other ways of contacting the police, such as through surgeries and by speaking to Police communiyt support officers (PCSOs).