New Response Policing Hub opens in Formby police station
02.07.26 - Merseyside
A new response policing hub has opened at Formby Police Station, designed to help officers reach emergencies and urgent calls more quickly, while strengthening support for communities across the area.
The hub will enable officers to be more strategically positioned within the community, helping them to respond more quickly and effectively to incidents. By placing officers closer to where they are needed the initiative will reduce travel distances, improve flexibility during peak periods, and ensure resources are deployed where they are needed most.
As well as improving response times, the new hub will increase visible policing in Formby and surrounding areas, helping to reassure residents and build stronger connections between officers and the communities they serve.
This approach has already been successful trialled in other places, including Bebington in Wirral, and follows encouraging results from an earlier trial in Sefton.
The hub will also strengthen links with residents, Neighbourhood Watch groups and community partners, recognising their role in supporting community safety. By sharing local insight, they help ensure policing is responsive and focused on what matters most. Residents are encouraged to highlight both concerns and what’s working well, helping shape priorities and support safer neighbourhoods.
Chief Inspector Jordan Quinn, Sefton Proactive Team said: "Policing works best in partnership with the community. This new hub will not only help us put officers in the right place at the right time, but also strengthen our links with residents and focus on what matters most to them.
“By positioning response teams more strategically, we can attend incidents more quickly, provide a more effective service and offer greater reassurance to the public."
Merseyside Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “This hub will play an important role in bringing policing even closer to the people it serves. Residents regularly tell me they want to see a more visible police presence in their communities, and this new response hub in Formby is a direct answer to that. By positioning officers closer to where people live and work, we can strengthen the partnership between Merseyside Police and the public, improve trust and ensure communities feel safer.
“It also reflects our wider commitment to working hand in hand with communities to tackle the issues that matter most to them. By improving how and where officers operate, we are not only responding faster to incidents but also building stronger, more connected neighbourhoods where policing is visible, accessible and responsive to local needs.”
“Lynne Fairclough BEM, Community Volunteer and Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator Merseyside said: "If you’re interested in volunteering as part of a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in Formby, we’d love to hear from you. We can support you to set up a scheme and encourage others to get involved.
“If you want to help make your community safer and have a voice in local policing, visit www.ourwatch.org.uk or the Neighbourhood Watch pages on the Merseyside Police website."
The introduction of the Formby hub reflects an ongoing commitment to improving policing services across Sefton, ensuring officers are better equipped and better located to keep people safe and respond when it matters most.
Response Officers will be policing from the Formby Hub 24 hours a day, so they’re in the right place to respond, whenever the public call for help.