New Milton police station is 'huge opportunity' for force, says chief constable
He's been to visit the site of the £45m plans
Last updated 29th Feb 2024
The chief constable of Cambridgeshire police has said a new station will only lead to greater things for the force.
Nick Dean's been to visit the site close to the A10 in Milton where a £45 million police station will be built.
It's part of plans to replace the existing Parkside police station in Cambridge, where foundations for the first building of the new facility have been completed.
"It's a huge opportunity"
"This will provide a modern, up-to-date facility both in terms of custody, investigations, response, PCSOs, scenes of crime, which is really critical to making policing successful," Mr Dean said.
"It's a huge opportunity for the constabulary, one which we've been waiting for for many years.
"The confidence in the work we do each day within our communities provides a high level of service; any facility such as this where it provides an enhanced service to the communities and internally in our constabulary will naturally raise the bar."
Aim to keep police presence in city centre
Despite a new station being built just outside Cambridge, Cambridgeshire Police have said they're committed to keeping a presence in the city once works have finished through its neighbourhood policing team.
But it is unclear exactly what will happen with the Parkside site once the Milton station is completed.
Darryl Preston, Cambridgeshire's police and crime commissioner, said: "This is a new building and will be more sustainable than Parkside, but let me be clear, the chief constable and I are committed to maintaining a police presence in the centre of Cambridge.
"My job is to ensure the chief constable has all the resources available to ensure our communities are safe, so operationally the chief constable said we need this new facility and I'm happy to support him.
"We want to maintain a police presence in Cambridge city, but these new facilities will ensure our officers and staff are better equipped to do the job we ask them to do."
Better facilities could mean better performance
The new station is due to be completed later in 2025.
Mr Dean believes improved facilities can also lead to better wellbeing for police officers.
"They're working out of an out-of-date building which doesn't provide modern facilities; if you have a happy workforce in a modern facility, that will reflect into our communities," he added.
"We have no difficulty in recruiting but we can't be complacent, and a modern-day facility such as this will naturally attract officers wanting to work for a modern-day police force."