Mark Burns-Williamson has assured the public there are no immediate plans for further police station closures.

When quizzed about the closing of some custody suites during a public question-and-answer session yesterday, the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner said there would be no withdrawal of policing services in general.

He added: “I haven’t considered any proposals recently to close any police stations. There are no plans at this moment of time for any closures.”

Mr Burns-Williamson, asked by a member of the public to put more officers on the streets, pointed out he was “ring-fencing” £17.8 million for Police Community Support Officers.

But he admitted: “We are losing more police officers and staff than the numbers we are able to recruit.”

Speaking on a local radio programme yesterday, he said the reason was budget cuts, but the officers being lost were those who were retiring, and he pledged that frontline policing would remain the same.