Police station meaning, closure and (in)visibility

ABSTRACT

This article considers the visual symbolism of policing as reflected by the presence or absence of police stations. The focus is England where recent years have witnessed a prolonged period of police station closure. The article draws on interviews with police estate managers and considers their reasons given for closure and consequent impact on visibility. The discussion is influenced by visual criminology and semiotics, as well as the concept of the abstract police developed by Jan Terpstra and colleagues, that police officers are now more abstract from the communities they serve, and from each other. Station closure was explained as being due to austerity, but also the unsuitability of ‘legacy’ buildings, changes in demand, and changes in police models. In these contexts, some closures may seem appropriate with public engagement maintained online. Moreover, poor community relations mean some may prefer not to have a local station. Yet, we argue that the visual presence or absence of a local police station can be read semiotically as a symbol of the police’s investment, or conversely lack of interest, in the community. The significance of these debates is discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Police stations
• architecture
• semiotics
• visual criminology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 From 2017 known as Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, and in 2022 renamed again as ‘His Majesty’s’.

2 Of those interviewed, three were female and three were male. Not everyone stated their length in post, but those that did represented a range of experience from 18 months to 10 years.

3 Directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) were introduced across England and Wales with the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (see Lister 2013).

4 RAL is a standard European classification of paint colours.

5 PFI (Public Finance Initiative) – a government method of procurement popular in the early 2000s where private companies complete and then manage public projects.

6 MOPAC and Metropolitan Police Service (2017) - data derived from ‘Annex 3: Front counters set to close and remain, with average daily crime reports’, p. 48.