A tour guide who was recently widowed has called for the re-opening of the front desk at Witney Police Station.

Kaye McGann, who lost her husband Ronald Pritchard, last October, said the lack of a front counter became “all to obvious” to her when she lost her engagement ring two weeks ago.

She could not report the lost property face-to-face and was concerned anyone who found would have nowhere to hand it in.

The front counter had been closed since March 2020 due to Covid-19 and closed permanently last August.

Prior to the pandemic, it was open from 10am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

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It is thought hundreds of police front counters have closed to the public across Britain over the last decade as part of cost-cutting measures.

Typically, the front desks are shut but the offices behind remain in use.

Ms McGann said: “There may well be police working here, but there is no physical point of contact. Should anyone wish to speak to a member of the police, other than in an emergency, their nearest police stations are Abingdon and Oxford.

"When was the last time anyone saw a police officer? There might be PCSOs but how do you find them? You don’t see them. I’ve seen the lights on in Witney police station and seen cars come out of the back but you can’t go in."

She added: “My husband died just a couple of months ago, so the loss of my engagement ring is especially painful.

“In the cold weather, it must have slipped off my finger. I was in the bank in Witney, the pharmacy in Bampton and the charity shop and estate agent’s in Carterton, the three places I visited that morning.

“Obviously, no-one who found it is going to journey to Abingdon or Oxford to hand it in, so I have no chance of getting it back, unless some kind person responds to this article or my post on Witney Spotted Facebook page.”

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The 9ct gold ring has a claw mounted milk opal surrounded by a cluster of small black opals.

Ms McGann, who lives in Standlake, added: “Of greater importance, though, is why we have no working police station in all of this area, with its ever-increasing population!”

She said she tried to report the loss over the phone.

"I received a recorded message. It said press 5 for Witney police station, then it said it was currently closed because of the pandemic then it went click. It did not take me back to where I could leave a message.

“So I went to Abingdon police station and she took a description then told me to try going round all the jewellers myself to see if anyone was trying to sell it or get it altered.

"I find it extraordinary that an area as big as West Oxfordshire with towns like Witney, Carterton, Bampton, Woodstock, doesn’t have a police counter. When you think of all the towns and villages there are around here. And the population has increased enormously and continues to do so."

Thames Valley Police said both Witney and Carterton police stations remain available for officers, and "there has not been a reduction in the service given to those living locally".

A spokesperson said: “Carterton has remained as a base for the neighbourhood team and other officers, while neighbourhood officers and CID teams also work from Witney. Our officers are still working from the sites and are able to still serve the communities just as effectively as they always have done.

"If lost property is handed in to a police station with a front counter which is open to the public, officers will attempt to reunite with its owner if possible."

Cllr Merilyn Davies, West Oxfordshire District Council Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, said she appreciated, for some, a front counter at a police station can be reassuring but footfall at the station was low and its closure reflected the changing way people interact with police - often online or via phone.

“I would prefer the police to be out and about rather than sat behind a front counter waiting, on the off chance, for someone to come in,” she said.

Ms McGann said: “Why don’t they hire a civilian to work on the front desk. It would prevent a lot of hurt to people. When people need the police it’s something that really matters to them."