Labour leaders in the area have hit out at the SNP for its refusal to take a stand on the possible closure of Dumbarton Police office in a services shake-up.

As revealed in the Reporter in December, Police Scotland announced proposals to merge the local police division with Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Division. The plans could result in the centralisation of police services south of the River Clyde with local policing operations being run from Paisley.

Jackie Baillie, Dumbarton and the Vale’s MSP, said: “It is quite frankly astonishing that the SNP Government has refused to halt plans for even more centralisation of police services.

“Local residents have already lost a number of police services, including the removal of traffic police and cuts to opening hours at police stations in Dumbarton and the Vale. How many more services will be cut before local policing is affected?” Gemma Doyle, the area’s MP, added: “A number of serving and retired police officers have already been in touch to share their concerns about the proposals. The SNP Justice Minister might believe that centralisation is the way forward but this is not the view I am hearing from residents or from local police officers on the beat in Dumbarton and the Vale. Our police officers do a difficult job already – why would we want to make it harder?” However, local SNP councillor Jonathan McColl, dismissed the claims as ‘party politicking’, while the police plans are still in the early stages.

He said: “These proposals are in their infancy and it is to the credit of Police Scotland that they have decided to be open with people about potential plans so very early on in their development.

“If the plans develop into more than operational changes, I will push for a full public consultation following which I would expect the Scottish Government to make their position clear.” He added: “I was heavily involved with the creation of Police Scotland through the COSLA Working Group and the same principles apply in this situation; local services must be unaffected or enhanced by any changes to the organisation.

“I’ve asked for more details of proposals as they develop and I’ll continue to discuss these with Police Scotland. I would urge Jackie Baillie to start doing the same and actually serve her constituents as opposed to blowing raspberries like a petulant child. If Gemma Doyle ever decides to visit us from her home in London, I’ll tell her the same.”