Police plans for new HQ take big step forward

Ministers announced a rebuilding programme had won 216m in credits under the Government's Private Finance Initiative (PFI) providing new divisional headquarters and custody accommodation, as well as a specialist training facility. The plans involve sites at the former greyhound stadium at Elland Road, Leeds, and Havertop Lane, Normanton.

A new operational training centre will be located on a site at Carr Gate, Wakefield, and will include firearms training ranges, driver training and public order training facilities.

David Hanson, Policing and Crime Minister, said last night: "I am pleased to support the 216m rebuilding project in West Yorkshire, which will help police produce even better work for the people of the county.

"The force is determined to use these new facilities to provide a further boost to neighbourhood policing, which is vital in cracking down on the crimes that matter most to local people and in boosting community confidence in the police."

Coun Mark Burns-Williamson, chairman of the West Yorkshire Police Authority, said: "The endorsement by the Government's Project Review Group is very good news for West Yorkshire and an important step in a long process to delivering these important facilities in modernising the estate, particularly the custody areas."

Assistant Chief Constable David Evans said: "This is a very important early milestone for the project which will make an important contribution to the delivery of the force's neighbourhood policing strategy.

"The provision of modern, specially designed flexible buildings and facilities will support effective operational policing at a local level and will help us deliver services that continue to meet community expectations well into the future."

The facilities at Normanton will provide a divisional headquarters for police at Wakefield and the Elland Road site will provide headquarters in the centre of Leeds. Both will bring a number of teams together under one roof.

The process of securing the relevant permissions for the developments, selecting a preferred bidder and agreeing contracts will take place over the next two years. It is hoped the scheme will provide job opportunities, not only during the building phase, but also through associated services.