York Police have recently opened a new office in the city centre as a base for a team of 11 staff made up of 1 Sgt, 1 PC, and 9 Police Community Support Officers, led by an Inspector, who also heads a team of 15 special constables.
The facility was officially opened by Chief Constable Dave Jones and the Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan, on Friday 12 September 2014.
The new station replaces the old base on Clifford Street, behind York Magistrates’ Court, which are no longer fit for purpose.
The new facility is a deployment base for officers without a counter facility for walk-in members of public. The Fulford Road station will continue to provide the custody facility for York. The use of the facility will be reviewed however.
North Yorkshire Police has leased the ground floor of the building for 30 years and will share the building with other organisations.
Harrogate operates a similar model, with the addition of a town centre deployment base at Craven Lodge (next to the job centre) that is also a counter facility during business hours.
Chief Constable Dave Jones said: I am very pleased that we are now able to re-base officers back into the city centre.
The length of the lease taken on the premises demonstrates North Yorkshire Police’s commitment to working within the heart of the communities we serve and partners with whom we work in York.
Julia Mulligan, North Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said: I know how important visibility is to residents of York, especially in the city centre. Visible policing helps residents and visitors feel safer, which is a central factor to quality of life. This new base will mean officers can react to incidents quickly, as well as provide that reassuring presence in the centre of the city.
Superintendent Phil Cain, Safer Neighbourhood Commander for York, said: This is a positive move for the team covering the city centre. It means that we have officers in the right place to provide the public and businesses with the highest level of service.
Moving offices was an operational necessity as the old station on Clifford Street was no longer suitable for the modern policing environment. The building was subject to flooding, which causes disruption to policing the city centre.
It gives my team a permanent home in the heart of the city and also means that officers will be able to respond quicker to incidents.
Ends
12 September 2014
Images of Chief Constable Dave Jones and Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan attached
