Aligning services: Ingleton Neighbourhood Policing Team move to Bentham Fire Station

Owned by the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Ingleton Police station will close on Wednesday 21st December and be sold next year with the decision to co-locate fire and police services in Bentham Fire Station. 

This decision was made in December 2020 as it was identified that the small Neighbourhood Policing Team serving the four western wards in Craven (including Bentham), are rarely in the station as they are out on patrol, leaving the building unmanned and closed to the public most of the time.  

It was also highlighted that the building requires considerable renovations and ongoing maintenance, at an estimated cost of £50,000, which given the minimal usage wasn’t viewed as a suitable option.  

Moving the neighbourhood policing team to Bentham will not change how the police respond to incidents and emergencies as the current practice of responding from patrol or by other resources in Craven will remain. In addition, the Neighbourhood Policing Team will hold a weekly drop-in session in Ingleton to provide regular access to the police – an improvement on current arrangements where availability is unpredictable. 

Commissioner Zoë said:

“Whilst this decision was made by a previous Commissioner, co-locating services at Bentham Fire Station aligns our Police and Fire service in this area, making effective use of our estate to ultimately maximise investment in frontline services as detailed in my Police and Crime Plan.” 

“I want to reassure the local community that North Yorkshire Police will continue to patrol and engage as they always have in Ingleton and that the closure of this building will not affect the safety of residents or visitors.” 

Craven Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Julie Earnshaw said:

“We’ve responded to the decision to close Ingleton Police Station in a way that ensures there will be no reduction in policing in the community. The same number of local officers will continue to patrol and respond to incidents at the same level they currently do.”

“We’ll maintain a strong focus on neighbourhood policing, with a number of additional community drop-in sessions planned in Ingleton, Bentham and Settle in the coming weeks. We’d encourage residents to come, meet their local officers and talk to us about any concerns.”

The nearest Police station for the public will become Settle Police Station which can be found in Cragdale, Settle BD24 9HX.   

To read the Decision Notice published in December 2020, click here.