Essex Police has been accused of becoming increasingly remote from the communities it serves.

On April 1, the front desk at Loughton station will close and Epping station will be closed altogether.

Councillors from Epping Forest District Council previously said a new police ‘contact point’ could be created at the civic offices in Epping following the station closure.

However, police and crime commissioner (PCC) Nick Alston told the Guardian today (March 2) “there are no immediate plans to co-locate police officers with local authority partners in Epping”.

Mike Compton is chairman of the Epping Town Neighbourhood Action Panel.

He said the group is ‘particularly concerned’ about a possible rise in anti-social behaviour when police visibility in the town drops.

“The reassuring presence will no longer be there, and there are those who think it will appear that Epping is being abandoned by the police,” he said yesterday.

“In particular we are concerned about anti-social behaviour… if the station is going to be sold, which we understand to a degree, they should be thinking about a ‘mini-station’ of some kind where a police presence can not only be maintained but be seen to be maintained.”

However, outgoing PCC Alston said today there are no plans for any ‘mini-station’ after April 1.

He said: “Whilst there are no immediate plans to co-locate police officers with local authority partners in Epping, response officers and locally based specialists in the town will work together with the new Community Policing Teams for Brentwood and Epping, who in turn will work ever more closely with local councils from local partnership hubs to tackle persistent criminal and nuisance behaviour.”

He added: “Very few people report crimes at police stations, and we must make it possible for members of the public to use secure online systems both to tell police about crimes and track the progress of investigations.

“The future will see our police officers equipped with digital technology enabling them to work on the road rather than stuck inside police stations.”

District and town councillor for Epping Jon Whitehouse said the loss of the town’s station will be felt most keenly because of the cut to police community support officer (PCSO) numbers.

“The PCSOs are the eyes and ears on the street and the combination of losing both is a poor lot for the police service in the local community,” he said.

“I think what we have seen is the police sadly becoming - despite the best efforts of individuals - more remote from the community.

“We have seen that already in their withdrawal from the Remembrance Sunday parade.”

He added: “We all recognise the police are under pressure because of government cuts but it is a shame it is resulting in this hollowed-out, more remote police service.

“It is not what people are used to and are entitled to expect.”