PLANS to reopen the police station in Silsden as a community contact point could cost too much, a Keighley police chief has said.

Superintendent Mark Whyman told town councillors that bringing the disused building up to scratch could cost between £40,000 and £50,000 - the equivalent of having an officer for a year for the division.

He said: "We have done a lot of work into looking at the buildings we own and the cost of them, but no decision has been made in respect of Silsden. The cost could prove prohibitive.

"I want all the money to be focused on front-line policing in the division."

Supt Whyman suggested that somewhere in the town hall could be used as a contact point, manned by volunteers.

The community contact point in Haworth was the model for what Supt Whyman believed was the right type of policing for Silsden.

"The volunteers are trained to deal with most inquiries and provide a referral point for the more serious ones," he said.

"It would also provide an office where our police officers could work from, and it could be used as a drop-in centre for them.

"If we could get some special constabulary up and running in the town, they can operate from there as well."

Mayor Alan Edwards said he found it hard to believe it would cost so much to modernise the building, but said he felt most people would be glad just to see police presence, wherever that may be based.

"We probably pay in the region of £200,000 a year through the community charge for the upkeep of police in Silsden. What do we get for that? The service just gets worse.

"The general perception in this town is that you are wasting your time speaking to the police," he added.

"I get the feeling that because Silsden is a low crime area, the money that should be used to police Silsden is diverted to other areas which have more problems.

"We are suffering because we are a low crime area and the money is being spent in Keighley and elsewhere."

He repeated the members' argument that a visible police presence in the town would prevent the type of low level crime which was disturbing the residents.

Supt Whyman agreed and asked the council to support his campaign to recruit more community support officers - civilians who provide a police presence and deal with minor disorders - for the town.

He added that there were other measures planned for Silsden, including patrolling and naming and shaming offenders.

He said the division hoped to recruit more officers by the end of the year.

"The future is bright, I am quite optimistic," he said.

Anyone interested in applying to be a special constable or a police community support officer should contact Keighley police on 01535 617059.