A new Surrey Police headquarters and operational base will be created in Leatherhead following the successful purchase of a site in the town, the Police and Crime Commissioner has announced today.
The former Electrical Research Association (ERA) and Cobham Industries site on Cleeve Road has been bought to replace a number of existing sites, including the current HQ at Mount Browne in Guildford, following a detailed search to identify a location in a more central area of Surrey.
The new site will become an operational hub housing specialist teams as well as chief officers and senior leadership team, support, corporate functions and training facilities. It will replace the existing Mount Browne HQ and Woking Police Station in addition to replacing Reigate Police Station as the main Eastern divisional base. Neighbourhood Policing Teams will continue to operate from all eleven boroughs including Woking and Reigate.
Burpham 和 Godstone 的道路警务队和战术火器部队所在的其他地点也将搬到新地点。
The sale of those five sites will fund a significant proportion of the cost of buying and developing the new Leatherhead base and the Force hopes the new building will be fully operational in around four to five years’ time. The Cleeve Road site, which covers around 10 acres, has cost £20.5m to purchase.
The move is part of an extensive estates project to deliver long-term savings by moving out and disposing of some of the current outdated and costly buildings.
取而代之的是，将创建一个高效的机构，使警队能够以新的方式工作并应对现代警务的挑战。 新地点还将受益于位于该县更中心的位置，靠近 M25 和该镇的火车站。
新总部还将为道路警务和战术火器团队提供萨里中央枢纽。 Guildford 和 Staines 警察局将被保留，以容纳西部和北部的分区团队。
PCC David Munro said: “This is really exciting news and heralds the start of a new chapter in the proud history of Surrey Police.
“The search for a new site has been long and complex so I am delighted we have now completed the deal and can start making detailed plans that will shape the future of policing in this county.
“The most important factor for me is that we provide value for money and deliver an even better service to the public. We have looked carefully at the budget for the project and even taking into account the inevitable relocation costs involved, I am satisfied this investment will provide savings in the long-term.
“A police force’s most valuable asset is of course the officers and staff that work around the clock to keep our county safe and this move will provide them with a much better working environment and support.
“Some of our current buildings, including the Mount Browne HQ site, are outdated, poor quality, in the wrong place and expensive to manage and maintain. Mount Browne will remain the Force HQ until the Leatherhead site is fully up and running when it will then be disposed of. It has been at the heart of policing in this county for almost 70 years but we must now look to the future and have a unique opportunity to design a new policing base fit for a modern day police force.
“I am well aware of the value Surrey residents place on local policing and I want to reassure people living in Woking and Reigate that our local neighbourhood presence in those communities will not be affected by these plans.
“Whilst the announcement of this deal marks an important milestone, there is much now to do of course and the real hard work starts now.”
Temporary Chief Constable Gavin Stephens said: “A state of the art operational base and HQ will enable us to better meet the challenges of modern policing, allow us to be innovative and ultimately provide an even better policing service for the Surrey public.
“Surrey Police has ambitious plans for the future and we’re investing in our people by providing the right training, technology and working environment to meet modern policing challenges.
“Our existing sites are expensive to run and restrict the way we work. Over the coming years we’ll provide our teams with workplaces they can be proud of.
“Our changes in location will not alter how we respond to, work with, and consider ourselves a part of, Surrey’s many communities. These plans reflect our ambition to be an outstanding force and our commitment to providing high quality policing in the heart of our communities.”