THE document leaked to the Argus showing that up to 20 police stations in Gwent could close will cause concern among many today.

We should point out that these are very early plans and nothing has been finalised.

However, the loss of any police station to a community, even if that station is not a 24-hour operation, will be met with dismay.

Gwent Police says it is currently assessing how effective replacing the stations with "one-stop shops and mobile police stations" is.

It is part of a force programme which aims to save money, improve and modernise the service.

Details of the scheme outlining the stations earmarked for possible closure were made public when it was uploaded onto Gwent Police’s website by mistake.

We are all for modernising the police force and making it more cost effective.

But is offering a mobile service the best way of reassuring communities that their areas are safe?

Many parts of Gwent have already lost the 24-hour presence of a police station.

But losing it altogether if these plans ever get off the ground would be a terrible blow.

We fully understand that a police force - like any other business - needs to look at ways of saving money.

But we hope other ways can be found before our police stations - which are such a vital part of communities - are lost forever.