Work starts on region's 'CSI' base

Assistant chief constable Mark Gilmore and the chairman of the Police Authority Councillor Mark Burns Williamson were among those who attended the ground breaking ceremony yesterday.

The site at Calder Park is to be turned into a state-of-the-art forensic investigation support centre of excellence which will be home to the forces imaging unit, scenes of crime and forensics specialists such as the fingerprint bureau and the DNA bureau.

The new building, which is near J39 of the M1 motorway will take about 18 months to build.

Once open, it should further improve West Yorkshire Police's use of cutting edge scientific techniques..

The 12.8m contract has gone to the Leeds-based Wates company.

The three-storey building will occupy more than 75,000 sq ft with facilities including laboratories, open-plan offices, training facilities, imaging studios, photography rooms, a delivery area, a dining area and space for extensive document storage.

The new SSU headquarters should also provide job opportunities not only during the building phase, but also through associated services.

Wates Construction won the contract to build the new headquarters in January and the firm has made a commitment to providing jobs for local people – ensuring miles travelled by workers and the materials are kept to a minimum to try to be more environmentally friendly.

Assistant chief constable Mark Gilmore said: "We are pleased that work has officially begun on this state of the art scientific support facility.

"We know that the use of scientific techniques to solve crimes can be key to bringing offenders to justice and the new facility will enable us to develop our capabilities further.

"We are committed to being at the forefront of modern policing in order to provide the best possible service to the communities of West Yorkshire."

West Yorkshire Police Authority chairman Coun Mark Burns-Williamson said: "The Police Authority is pleased to support this investment as it's good news for the Wakefield district and beyond.

"The specialists working in scientific support unit will benefit enormously from the improved facilities and the people of West Yorkshire can benefit from continued developments in crime fighting techniques.

"I hope the new building will have a positive impact on the local economy with jobs being made available to local people throughout the build and other associated services.

"This will be a significant policing services site for West Yorkshire and the region for many years to come."

David Price, regional manager at Wates Construction, said: "We have spent the past few months gearing up to make the most of this project's location in Wakefield to create jobs for local people and make a real impact upon the local economy. Now is the time to get cracking.

"We've got an excellent team in place and are looking forward to working in close partnership with the Police and local stakeholders to build this high quality, cutting edge facility for the scientific support unit and its invaluable team of specialists."