THE DECISION to close police station front offices to the public in Chepstow, Caldicot and Monmouth could be reversed, Gwent's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has hinted.

Ian Johnston, the PCC for Gwent, described the original decision to close 17 front desks across the force area as "the biggest PR own goal in the history of Gwent Police."

The stations closed in July last year, four months before Mr Johnston became the area's first commissioner, responsible for setting overall priorities for the force.

Since then reports to police have had to be made at police surgeries in supermarkets and village halls, mobile police stations, by phone, on social media such as Facebook or by going to larger stations such as Newport and Abergavenny.

He told Caldicot Town Council: "I have been to 187 meetings and at every one I've been asked: "Why was our police station closed?'"

Referring to the Caldicot station he said: "It is not going to open 24/7 but I can tell you it will be open more than it is now.

"Re-opening front desks is a work in progress but I am working with local policing unit commanders for them to come up with ideas about what they could do with current staffing levels and what they could do with some more help."

Mr Johnston told town councillors he expected the force's crime figures to go up because he was insisting of more "ethical" recording of offences.

He said: "We previously had a situation where it was all about numbers and pleasing the Home Office rather than people of Gwent.

"There was a situation where there was a ceiling of 85 crimes a day (that could be recorded) and nobody could go over that.

"There were offences that were near to affray that were treated as drunk and disorderly because they did not have to be recorded.

"We are now going to record them more ethically."

"Crime fell in Gwent but they were not so fond of telling you that of 43 forces (in England and Wales) Gwent was joint bottom in terms of public satisfaction.

He also said that he wanted to get uniformed officers out of desk-bound jobs.

"We have 28 extra uniforms in the control room, so they can come out and our domestic violence unit is twice the size of that in the West Midlands (which includes Birmingham)."