A SENIOR councillor has unveiled a project which could see a police base return to the centre of Tavistock after an absence of nearly a decade.

Tavistock county councillor Debo Sellis has revealed she is pursuing an idea which could see the town’s Tourist Information Centre become a walk-in access point for residents to contact local police officers.

Cllr Sellis, also county council vice-chairman, said she was hoping to open detailed discussions with Devon and Cornwall police crime commissioner Alison Hernandez in the near future. Those discussions would also include West Devon Borough Council, who are tenants in the Court Gate building.

Ms Hernandez has indentified the reopening of police station front desks to allow residents more access to the service as one of her priorities.

The Tourist Information Centre is due to move from its present base at Court Gate a short distance to the newly revamped Guildhall, which is being turned into a heritage centre and is due to open officially early next month. That would leave its present home at least partially vacant and Cllr Sellis said it would be an opportunity to use the building as a type of mobile police ‘front desk’.

Tavistock lost its permanent town centre police station in the Guildhall, where it had been housed since the mid-1800s, in 2012. Officers upped sticks and moved to a purpose-built base, which does not have walk-in public access, on the site of the former Tavistock South railway station, near the town’s cattle market.

Cllr Sellis, who is also a West Devon Borough councillors, stressed that her idea was only in its early stages, but said she felt the move, should it happen, would benefit residents.

She said: ‘I discussed it with Dr Geri Parlby, the chair of Tavistock Heritage Trust, who are working on the Guildhall heritage centre project, at exactly the same time. I feel that the buildings that we have in Tavistock should be used as much as possible and I believe that having a police front desk at what is now the Tourist Information Centre would be useful for members of the public to be able to drop in and speak to a police officer when necessary. I think it would give us a focal point which people would be able to access. We are talking about a mobile sort of thing, where officers can meet residents when they are on duty in the town centre for a few hours.’

She added: ‘I have spoken briefly about it to (police crime commissioner) Alison Hernandez and I’m hoping it’s something she thinks she can support because I feel it would be a great benefit to the community.’

Ms Hernandez and West Devon Borough Council were not available for comment at the time of going to press, although Cllr Sellis’ suggestion brought a general thumbs up from Tavistock town council, who are partners with the trust in the heritage centre project.

A spokesman said while he could not comment on what might happen to the Tourist Information Centre, which was leased by the borough council, he added: ‘Basing police in the community where accompanied by significant public access to “walk in” services represents a welcome step toward to a proven and trusted model of community policing.’