SUFFOLK police has today announced changes to the opening hours at Ipswich Police Station.

The station, in Elm Street, has until now been open from 7.30am until 11pm, seven days a week.

But from Friday the public will be able to access the enquiry desk at the station from 8am until 8pm, seven days a week.

A Suffolk Police Authority spokeswoman said the changes will mean public still have good daily access to the desk, while resources are used more efficiently to suit the demand the force is facing.

She said the changes will allow the Constabulary to respond to inefficiencies in the use of its resources as well as maintaining an essential presence within local communities in the form of its valued and knowledgeable front desk staff.

Police stations across the county have been organised into ‘Tiers’ depending on the amount of visitors they receive on a daily basis.

Ipswich, along with Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds Police Stations, has been graded as a Tier 1 station, as it is based in an urban area and receives one of the highest levels of visitors.

Bury St Edmunds Police Station is already open from 8am to 8pm, seven days per week and Lowestoft Police Station will soon move to these hours, creating consistency across the county’s three busiest stations.

The station itself will remain fully operational, with the changes to its opening hours affecting only the public enquiry desk.

The spokesman added: “The changes will not affect the availability of police officers to respond to emergency incidents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

Details of all police station opening hours can be found at www.suffolk.police.uk.