SWANAGE’S police front desk has been closed after a trial period. 

The desk was opened in the summer of 2023 inside the town hall as part of a county-wide trial to make reporting crime easier. 

However, residents have reported the front desk is now closed, while Purbeck police have said the trial has come to an end. 

Chief superintendent Gavin Dudfield, of Dorset Police, said: “Last summer we began a trial to re-open enquiry offices, with Lyme Regis being reopened in May and Swanage opening its doors in August to understand demand from local residents and visitors reporting crimes and incidents face-to-face with Dorset Police.

“This trial came to an end on Monday 30 September 2024 and we will now begin to review usage data over the period to inform how we engage with our communities in the future.

“Our neighbourhood policing teams will continue to provide a visible policing presence in the areas and will be available in person via our community contact points, which you find by searching for ‘Dorset Police Community Contact Point’ online or via our website.”

At the time, the police and crime commissioner David Sidwick said reopening a front desk for the town was "what the people of Swanage wanted”.

He added: “They wanted the police to have a footprint in the town and that’s what the front-desk in the town hall gives them.” 

It’s not yet clear whether the desk will ever reopen.