North Yorkshire Police have announed plans to invest up to half a million pounds in the refurbishment of Northallerton Police Station.
The main part of the refurbishment programme, costing £399,000, will take place next year (2015). This will include improvements to the main station, plus work on the station’s custody facility to bring it into line with the most recent Home Office guidance on standards for buildings of the station’s age and type.
A further £100,000 has been ear-marked for possible further improvements over the next four years, dependent on operational policing requirements.
Northallerton Police Station, which is located on the High Street in the centre of the town, had been due to close as part of proposals to build a police headquarters building at South Kilvington. However in July these proposals were dropped, in favour of other plans, which include making best use of existing facilities.
Now Northallerton Police station will be a base for one of four Investigation Hubs that North Yorkshire Police plans to introduce in spring. The Hubs will bring investigation resources together, so that crimes can be investigated more quickly, bringing swifter justice for victims.
The Police and Crime Commissioner, Julia Mulligan, said: Through the Investigation Hubs, North Yorkshire Police is introducing some important changes to the way that it works, which will put victims at the heart of the investigation process.
Northallerton will be a focal point for this work during next year. However the station, including the custody suite, is not fully fit-for-purpose and needs to be improved.
I have made the decision to invest and we are now putting the plans in place, so that next year we can get on with the job.
Chief Constable Dave Jones said: Our custody suite at Northallerton is safe and serviceable now, but standards have moved on, and it does need improvement.
The facilities will need to close for a short time while the work is done, but we have plans in place to manage that when it happens.
Meanwhile, the Investigation Hub is a very positive development that will help us to bring offenders to justice more quickly, and we are looking forward to implementing that at Northallerton Station in the new year.
