Mosgiel community leaders are disappointed the opening hours of the town's police station have been halved.
The Gordon Rd station, which used to be open between 8.30am-4.30pm on weekdays, is now open to the public between 10am-2pm weekdays.
Sergeant Kevin Davidson said the watchhouse role had gone from being a fulltime position to a 0.5 position earlier this month.
He reiterated that police would still attend jobs, and in emergencies people should always phone 111.
Outside of opening hours, residents should still ring the local police station for non-urgent matters, which would be transferred to the 24-hour Crime Reporting Line, he said.
Mosgiel-Taieri community board chairman Bill Feather first learnt about the change when contacted by the Taieri Times.
''This certainly surprises me.''
He believed residents would prefer to deal with police in person and he planned to discuss the matter with police.
Dunedin South MP Clare Curran said she was concerned about the cut in opening hours, and the lack of police presence during the night.
Last month the Otago Daily Times revealed no officers were working in the Mosgiel area, when a Waipori resident called 111 to report dozens of gunshots near his home, and the incident was not attended.
Ms Curran said perception was very important for policing ''and if people don't feel safe than that is an issue''.
