Cops slammed for spending £24k of taxpayers’ cash on two of UK’s tiniest police stations which have been ridiculed

A POLICE force has been slammed for spending £24,000 of taxpayers’ cash on two of Britain’s tiniest stations.

The 6ft by 8ft cop shops were installed in crime hotspots to tackle anti-social behaviour and boost community engagement.

But the sites — costing £12,000 each — have been branded a “gimmick” by the staff association for rank and file officers.

The shed-like “PC Pods” have just enough room for a table and chairs, but have no cells.

Raffaele Cioffi, conduct and performance officer at Sussex Police Federation, said: “It’s an attempt to provide engagement with the public.

“But is it the right strategy to use and the right place to put £12,000 of public money when there are other significant issues? Then no.

“If it looks like a gimmick, sounds like a gimmick, and appears to be a gimmick, then it probably is a gimmick.”

One pod was opened in Eastbourne, East Sussex, in August, and the other in Crawley, West Sussex, late last month.

They are solar-powered, made from 1,312 recycled bottles and manned mainly by PCSOs.

The pods were paid for using government funds from Operation Safety — a project between the force and Home Office to clamp down on serious violence.

The Sun told how the Crawley pod was ridiculed by locals with one saying: “It’s going to be vandalised or turned upside-down.”

The Sussex force, which shut seven police stations between 2011 and 2021, said: “These eco-friendly pods continue our efforts to support our communities and deter crime.”

But Mr Cioffi countered: “They’re very small and you can’t do much work in there. The officer can take down details of a crime but they have to go back to a station to process the report.”