A police station shuts every week

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Figures show that 582 local stations have shut since Labour's 1997 election victory.

The Liberal Democrats, who uncovered the figures through freedom of information requests to police forces, said closures appeared to have been targeted on areas represented by its MPs and by Conservatives.

Its analysis suggests police stations in seats with Liberal Democrats and Conservative MPs are twice as likely to be shut down. The hardest-hit regions have been Essex with 57 closures, South Wales with 24 and Gloucestershire with 23.

The closures have been partly counterbalanced by the opening of stations in the same period. Overall, there were 2,059 police stations in 1997 but by 2005 this had fallen to 1,791 - a net loss of 268.

Many of the new 'stations' are actually smaller offices far removed from the traditional, centrally-located buildings they replaced.

LibDem leader Sir Menzies Campbell said: ' Community policing is essential for maintaining public confidence but the ability to go to the station and talk to an officer face to face is becoming a thing of the past.'

The issue of closures was highlighted last month when businessman Stephen Langford, 43, was beaten to death yards from a police station in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. It was closed to the public, but staff were working inside.

A Home Office spokesman said decisions on closures were taken by individual forces. 'They assess local needs,' he added.

'Many of the stations have been little used by the public and that will be taken into consideration.'