FROM this Saturday the last police front counter in Waverley borough will be closed.

The front counter is currently found in Godalming, but the closure now means that Waverley residents’ nearest police counter will be Guildford or Woking.

The closure has left Waverley residents feeling concerned that the nearest counter will now be outside the borough.

Police Sergeant (PS) Andy Crane wants to reassure the public that there is still a police presence within the area.

He said: “We are still out and about, we are still out there and we always encourage people if you want to talk to us please do.

“The police are still here, we’re still accessible, in some respects it’s about understanding how the public like to access us and how they like to communicate with us.

“Again, it’s about the police service adjusting and adapting and making themselves as accessible as possible.

“Policing has to move with the times and move with the crime.”

“One thing that the public will always hold us to account for is what exactly are you doing with the money that gets provided to the police service, how are you using the officers that you’ve got, how are you using the resources that are available to you, and so I think what we can reassure people being on the inside is that do you know what, Surrey Police certainly has responded to the change in the types of crime.”

There are currently two Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) for Farnham Town Centre, as well as Police Constable (PC) Will Davies, who is also the Neighbourhood Specialist Officer (NSO) of West Waverley covering Farnham to Haslemere, and PS Andy Crane.

It comes as Surrey Police was rated ‘good’ in Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) in their Police Effectiveness 2017 report.

It’s part of its annual assessment of police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL).

The force was scored ‘good’ in all the key areas of preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour, for investigating crime and reducing reoffending, for protecting vulnerable people, and for tackling serious and organised crime.

Surrey Police were commended for its “continuous improvement”, and the report praised the service it provides to vulnerable victims and the progress made in both the quality of investigations and response to domestic abuse.

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Surrey, David Munro said: “The Force can be really proud of how far it has come in the last two years, particularly in the way its protects vulnerable people.

“I am delighted to see the sheer hard work and tenacity of officers and staff at all levels being applauded in this report.

“Whilst it is right to celebrate what has been achieved, we cannot afford to be complacent for a moment and there is always room for improvement.

“HMICFRS have highlighted areas where further progress is required such as reducing re-offending which is currently an area of particular focus for my office.”