POLICE have announced that Harpenden police station will be closed to the public from Friday.

As first revealed by the Herts Advertiser in February, Herts Police made the decision to close the front enquiry office at the police station in Vaughan Road as part of cost-cutting plans.

But the building will continue to be used as an operational base and there will be no change in the number of police officers, staff and teams operating from the station. A telephone at the front door of the police station also connects directly to the force’s control room.

Up until now the police station opened three days a week from 8am to 5pm with an hour break from 2pm.

Eight other front enquiry offices at stations across the county will also close and a number of stations including London Colney will be shut altogether and sold as Herts Police try to bridge a �36 million funding gap over the next four years.

Superintendent Jeff Taylor said the changes to front counter services were made to ensure that frontline policing is protected in the face of government cuts. He continued: “Front counter services at the county’s less-used stations cannot continue to be preserved at the expense of community safety and public protection.”

Police have insisted that most functions carried out at police station front counters can be done over the phone but if anybody does need to go in person then they can visit St Albans Police Station, which is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 2pm and 3pm to 5pm, and on Saturdays and Sundays between 10am and 2pm and 3pm and 7pm.

Or they can visit Hatfield Police Station in Comet Way, which is open Monday to Saturday between 7am and at least 11pm and between 8am and 10pm on a Sunday.

Otherwise people can use the usual non-emergency number 0845 33 00 222 or call 999 if a crime is in progress.