FIVE Ealing police stations could be closed and replaced with community support offices as part of a project to re-organise the borough's police force.

Northolt Police Station will almost certainly close, while the futures of Ealing, Hanwell, Greenford and Norwood Green stations are also in doubt.

Superintendent Ian Jenkins, Ealing Police's senior management leader for the project, said: "We need to modernise our estate. This is going to put police in a better position and give the safer neighbourhood teams a base near to where they work."

Superintendent Jenkins said police are already in the final stages of selling the station in Northolt, and Norwood Green will have to be replaced to provide more accessibility for the community.

He said no decision has yet been made on the remaining three stations, but all could be closed.

He said: "Hanwell Station is an old building and it does not give good accessibility. If we can look at keeping it we will, but we cannot get disabled people in there.

"It may be that costs conspire against us."

The stations in Hanwell and Norwood Green were built in 1890 and the one in Greenford was built in 1896.

Superintendent Jenkins said Greenford is earmarked for disposal and police already had plans to close Ealing earlier in the year, which fell through.

He said: "We were not successful in closing Ealing earlier in the year, but we have to be realistic and say it is not fit for purpose."

The police are consulting with residents on the proposals and no stations will close until services have been relocated to other sites.

Police have said stations will be replaced with front counters staffed by police officers, before they close.

The plans have sparked criticism from Dee Doocey, the Liberal Democrat's policing spokesperson on the London Assembly.

She said: "The consultation on the future of police stations in London has been a disgrace right from the very start.

"They have learned nothing from the mistakes they made at the start in areas such as Teddington.

"The Met does not seem to understand the meaning of the word consultation - this is merely a public information exercise.

However Richard Barnes, London assembly member for Ealing and Hillingdon and a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority, supports the plan.

He said: "What they are trying to do is take a very old provision and modernise it for the 21st Century.

"If you are talking about Ealing it is really unfit for purpose. It really is a horrible place and the cells are no longer useable.

"The station in Northolt has to go to allow another development and where there will be a new station - that is not really a closure."

The report also proposes the creation of a centralised custody service at Southall Police Station, in High Street.

A central patrol base is also proposed.

Mr Barnes said: "Basing custody services in one station makes absolute common sense at the moment with the number of people we have to check in and out - it is completely inefficient.

"The patrol base is the one aspect of the plans I have major questions about.

"It may make sense in inner London but in outer London boroughs where everything is further apart I am still not sure it works."

The full report is available at www.met.police.uk/ealing/ and residents can email comments to Ealing police at ian.jenkins@met.police.uk.

Readers may also post their views to Ealing Police Station, 67-69 Uxbridge Road, Ealing or call police on 0208 246 9472.