Could a police box return to St Albans city centre?
A police box could be returning to St Albans city centre. - Credit: Matt Adams
These days it's best known as the exterior disguise of Doctor Who's TARDIS, but for decades police boxes were a regular sight on the streets of St Albans.
Now St Albans’ Neighbourhood Inspector, Andy Wiseman, is exploring the possibility of introducing a traditional police box to the city centre.
Insp Wiseman said: “Other places in the UK, including Boscombe in Dorset and Bradgate Park in Leicestershire, have reintroduced a police box to their areas and I think we could do the same here.
"I would like to gauge the public’s appetite for a box in the city centre, where officers from the local neighbourhood team could hold beat surgeries.
"We would also look at how technology could be incorporated into the box, such as a direct phone line to the force control room and/or interactive screens where the public can get information or report crimes.
"Like the box in Dorset, we would look to fund the project through voluntary contributions from local businesses, groups and organisations. I would stress that this is only an idea at this time and the first stage of the project is to get an idea of what our communities might want.”
If you would like to have your say on the idea of a police box in St Albans city centre, click on this link to complete a short survey:
https://hertsmarketing.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8IndluJ2CtlltK6
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Police boxes were first seen on the streets of Britain in the 1920s and at one time there were 23 dotted across St Albans. They were withdrawn in the 1970s.
