Agenda item: 11
HAMPSHIRE POLICE AND CRIME PANEL
Report
Date considered:
/ 5 July 2013 / Item: / 11Title:
/ Outcome of Estates Development Programme reviewContact:
/ Richard Andrews – Executive Advisor to the Office of the Police and Crime CommissionerTel:
/ 01962 871595 /Email:
/1. Executive Summary
1.1. The purpose of this report is to present panel members with the headline outcomes of the Estates Development Programme review that was conducted during the first half of 2013.
2. Contextual Information
2.1. In January 2013, the Commissioner announced his intention to review the Estates Development Programme of Hampshire Constabulary in light of the changing policing requirement and the responsibility that the Commissioner has to work in partnership with other organisations across the two counties.
2.2. The Commissioner appointed an advisor, Oona Muirhead, to work alongside him and the Estates Development Programme team at Hampshire Constabulary to ensure that the estate supports the future operational policing requirements in the most cost-effective way.
3. Initial outcomes of review
3.1 The review identified that much had changed since that original strategy was developed, and there are new opportunities to allow Hampshire Constabulary to be smarter about how and where officers are deployed in order to best deliver for the communities they serve.
3.2 The revised strategy will see a significant investment over the next four years on upgrading key enablers for the provision of excellent police services. In parallel, the Commissioner will be selling old and inefficient buildings and those that no longer meet the operational requirements of the force.
3.3 A key part of the review has been to consider carefully the need for Alpha Park, bought in 2008, initially to provide headquarters accommodation. More recently it was proposed to use the site for a number of force-wide units. This would have required major infrastructure and refurbishment work.
3.4 The review concluded that Alpha Park is no longer needed and will be sold. The money saved will be used to improve frontline policing as set out in the Police and Crime Plan. The review underlines that the estate has enough capacity to locate teams who would have gone to Alpha Park in other locations, including public sector shared spaces. This will ensure that the best value from the public estate as a whole is gained.
3.5 Mottisfont Court in Winchester will provide a long-term headquarters for Hampshire Constabulary. A careful study has been made of what work is essential to allow the Chief Constable and his team to run the force most effectively and to reduce the running costs of the building. This study allows the Commissioner to minimise the amount to be spent on refurbishment while reducing running costs and best-value utilisation of the space. The move of headquarters staff to Mottisfont Court in Autumn 2014 will enable the current headquarters site at West Hill in Winchester to be sold, thereby realising a very significant receipt for re-investment.
3.6 Two new Police Investigation Centres will be built - one at Basingstoke, just off the M3, to serve the north of the county, and one in Portsmouth. These centres will be delivered to provide short term custodial care and to support quicker processing and handling of detainees-allowing frontline officers to return to duty quicker. Together with the recently built custody provision at Southampton Central Police Station, this investment programme will give Hampshire Constabulary facilities that are fit-for-purpose in terms of investigating and reducing crime and supporting victims and witnesses. Custody centres at Winchester and Newport will be kept and essential refurbishment work will be carried out.
3.7 The review also re-examined the proposals to relocate Safer Neighbourhood teams out of elderly buildings and has concluded that this is an excellent programme which should continue as quickly as possible. Where Safer Neighbourhood teams are moving out of police stations, this is because the building no longer serves the operational needs of Hampshire Constabulary and alternative accommodation is available that will be cheaper and at least as close to the community served by the team.
4. Recommendation
4.1. That this report is noted.
Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background documentsThe following documents discuss facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report. (NB: the list excludes published works and any documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.)
Document / Location
None