Cheshire Police are proposing to close 11 helpdesks at stations around the county, including one in Nantwich.
They say the helpdesks – open five days a week – are “seldom used” as more people contact police in different ways.
Under new proposals, it would close helpdesks at Nantwich as well as Chester Town Hall, Ellesmere Port police station, Winsford police station, Stockton Heath police station, Penketh police station, Runcorn police station, Congleton police station, Wilmslow police station and Knutsford police station.
A helpdesk service would remain at five police stations – Crewe, Blacon, Warrington, Widnes and Macclesfield.
These helpdesks would be open to the public between 8am and 5pm from Monday to Saturday.
A public consultation on the plans has been launched, including a survey.
Assistant Chief Constable Bill Dutton said: “These proposals will not reduce the level of service or the current police presence in Cheshire.
“Our operational teams and where we deploy our police officers and police community support officers from are unaffected.
“Since helpdesks were introduced in 2004 the landscape has changed significantly.
“A large proportion of the population have mobile phones and access to online services meaning the need for face-to-face contact is reducing.
“We have noticed that more people than ever are now choosing to report crime and interact with police online or via a mobile device, and as a police service we have to adapt to these changes in our society.
“It is important to reiterate that we are not proposing to close any police stations, and although some helpdesks would close under these proposals, these will be substituted by regular Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) surgeries.
“The savings we make will be reinvested into our force contact centre, helping improve our response times in answering 999 and 101 calls, which is a key priority for the Constabulary.
“This investment will also support our work in dealing with online enquiries, which we are seeing more and more of with the advancement of technology.
“However, it is really important we hear from our communities about these proposed changes and I want to encourage people to feedback to us during the consultation process.”
John Dwyer, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, added: “I want people to have confidence in our police service so it’s vital that everyone has their say on these proposals.
“More people are interacting with the police online but I want to make it clear that the Constabulary’s visible presence will increase.
“The Chief Constable and I are steadfast in our commitment to increasing the police presence across Cheshire by taking our officer numbers to their highest ever level on our current boundaries – a total of 2,347.
“We are investing in our force control centre, bringing 101 waiting times down and getting officers out quicker to both 999 and 101 calls.
“The budget I have approved for 2022/23 includes a further £1.3 million investment on top of this, putting more frontline staff where they are best placed in order to take your call in your moment of need.
“People consistently feed back to me that the police need to invest more in the ways that people want to contact us and prioritise resources efficiently.
“That is what these proposals aim to do.”
To have your say on the proposals visit https://wh1.snapsurveys.com/s.asp?k=164432458930
The consultation is open until March 27 2022.
Anyone wanting to report a crime, incident or looking to seek advice can visit www.cheshire.police.uk or call 101. In an emergency or threat to life, always dial 999.
If you make the “helpdesk” as unhelpful as possible by drastically limiting the hours it’s open, is it any surprise that it’s little used by the public who really have no idea if or when its open? Self-fulfilling prophecy, fulfilled. “To better serve you, this Police station will now be shut to the public. Dial 999 if you’re being assaulted on the pavement outside. Glad to help. Love Cheshire Police”