Marlborough’s new Police facility – a ‘touch down point’ – will be operational as from late September / early October. Wiltshire & Swindon Police and Crime Commissioner, Angus Macpherson has received change of use consent for the premises which was previously Marlborough’s Sure Start Centre, closed by Wiltshire Council just over three years ago.
As reported previously on marlborough.news, this will replace the existing Police Station in George Lane which was regarded as ‘no longer meeting the operational needs of the Force’. Work to renovate the property will commence on Monday 8 July.
PCC Angus Macpherson said: “The Corner House is an accessible, central location and will be used as a touchdown point by police officers and PCSOs from the Wiltshire East Community Policing Team whilst patrolling in and around the town.”
The new facility will provide 24-hour access welfare facilities – toilet and kitchen, plus rest area. There will also be an interview room, a part-time front counter service and officers and staff will also have access to the building’s WiFi service.
As well as operational needs, cost was a major factor behind the move to the touch down point. Mr Macpherson added: “I am seeking to reduce the cost of the Wiltshire Police estate by 20 per cent by 2021… I’ve calculated that the move to the Corner House would save the Force £60,000 a year, the equivalent of two police officers. It is important to emphasise that, there will be no change in the service that the people of Marlborough receive from the Force. It will be business as usual.”
Wiltshire East Acting Inspector Peter Foster said: “Under our Community Policing model, officers and staff no longer need to return to a police station to do paperwork. They can now do that, and more, whilst out and about, thanks to a major investment in mobile technology by the Commissioner.
“Once the facility opens in October 2019, our officers will have 24/7 access to the Corner House and members of the public can visit during the part time enquiry office opening hours. There will also be a yellow phone on the outside of the building for the public to contact the police out of hours. Of course, if it’s an emergency, we would expect the public to call 999. For non-emergencies call 101.”
The future for the former Police Station is as yet unclear. The vast bulk of the current site is used for specialist services which will move to Gablecross in Swindon and the specialist teams affected have been consulted in advance of any decision that has been made.