As police stations go, it is not exactly big, but it is centrally located and visible from the far end of the high street, which is, according to the neighbourhood policing inspector for Crawley, part of the point.
“It encourages increasing engagement, it’s community reassurance and it acts as a preventive as well,” says Insp Steve Turner of Sussex police.
The station – or hub, as it is officially termed – is about the size of a garden shed, roughly 8ft by 6ft, and will sit in the town centre for up to six months.
In what is hoped to follow on from the success of similar schemes in Eastbourne and Brighton, passersby can stop off for a chat in the day or alert the police to issues in the early hours of the morning.
From the far end of the high street you can spot the box, emblazoned with Sussex police and pictures of friendly faced officers.
“People, the public, visitors always say police could be doing more, could be seen more. This isn’t a substitute for police officer numbers. It’s not a substitute for a police station … But our data tells us that this is a hotspot location for crime, and we hope it provides people with that extra support,” he said.
One visitor is Azzie, who has popped in to ask about new government regulations on XL bullies in England and Wales, worried the family pet will be illegal unless they can get a certificate of exemption.
“I have been trying to get an appointment or a phone call – well, ideally a face to face – with the dog legislation officer for West Sussex since the legislation was announced,” she said. “The police community support officers [at the hub] took my contact details but they couldn’t immediately tell me a name.”
While the officers could not help with Azzie’s issue on the spot, she said it was good to see police presence in the area, something she said had slowly declined over the past couple of decades. “Years and years ago, you used to have police walking the streets … it’s all online now.
“In the summertime, I saw a couple of guys on the beat walking and I will say it’s nice to see you guys out,” she said.
A construction project manager, who preferred not to share his name, agreed. He believes he was almost the victim of a scam, and had come to the hub to alert the police. “I went to get some cash at the bank and by the time I left the bank, I was a little bit apprehensive about someone following me,” he said.
As he made his way back to his car, someone poured cream on his back – which he believed to be a marker. He was then confronted by a man and woman, but managed to ward them off.
He reported the incident to the police but they did not call back. “I was really quite stressed out because it was an experience. And to be honest, I’ve come to Crawley today, and I don’t want to come here. I’d rather go to Horsham, I feel safer,” he said.
“My wife, who is a nurse, said to me: ‘You could’ve got knifed.’ What would have happened then?
“[The police hub] is a nice deterrent, but frankly, I think it’s a waste of money. Where there’s crime, they should have more cops about. When I was a little boy, the village copper knew everybody.”
For Paul Yiu, the hub was more intriguing. “I’m here to take a couple of pictures,” he said. “I used to live in the town centre, just down the road from here. Even though we would hear a lot of noises at night, especially during the weekends … I never heard of anything serious. So, I feel quite safe to be honest with you.”
Asked if he would come to the box to report a crime, he said: “If I’m on this road, yeah, I might come down here, but otherwise I’ll just call 999.
“It is just too new. I don’t know how effective or how useful [the hub] might be.”
