The PSNI has revealed that it has "no plans locally" to carry out a review of Woodbourne Police Station, despite calls to demilitarise the barracks. 

Calls for the PSNI to review Woodbourne were sparked after a review of policing in South Armagh recommended the closure of the heavily-fortified police barracks in Crossmaglen. 

The imposing Woodbourne Police Station, known locally as Woodbourne Barracks, is the centre of the PSNI's operations in West Belfast. The station serves the Greater Andersonstown, Colin, Beechmount, Falls, Upper-Springfield and Dunmurry areas.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request from the Andersonstown News shows that the station received a 16,854 calls for service from the 1 April 2021 to January 4 2022.

The PSNI has further revealed that there are "approximately 180 officers attached to Woodbourne Station", which operates 24 hours per day. It said it takes an average of "17,247 hours per month, including shift overlaps to resource Woodbourne station." 

However, asked if it plans to review its operations and, if so, under what remit, the PSNI said that "there are no plans locally to carry out a review of Woodbourne station".

Commenting following the revelations, West Belfast MP Paul Maskey said Sinn Féin have raised the demilitarisation of Woodbourne directly with the PSNI. 

"There has to be a policing service in West Belfast – that goes without saying," he said.

"Even if all these figures are correct, this is not a modern and nice building. It's a relic from the past and it doesn't look good in our area.

"We're about trying to get as much investment as we can into West Belfast, and there are powerful new buildings and refurbs up and down the road. This is on a main arterial route in West Belfast and I don't think it's conducive to good policing image. 

"If you look at Patten Report and the Good Friday Agreement, all of these things were supposed to be modernised. First of all you have to find out if there is a need for them, and if there is a need for them they have to be modernised so they look to the future and not the past."