New
Hatfield Police Station Open
Improving
public accessibility, visibility and services to the public are some of
the benefits of the new Comet Way police station in Hatfield (on the old
British Aerospace site) as police officers and police staff start to move
into the art deco building.
The impressive enquiry office is now open to members of the public as
the old Hatfield police station on St Albans Road East has now shut.
The large custody suite for the Central Area that has been designed to
process detainees more quickly, which will bring great benefits in terms
of getting officers back out on the streets in the shortest possible time.
The 30 cell custody suite has had its first prisoners, replacing the St
Albans and the old Hatfield custody suites, which have now closed.
In November, a Hertfordshire remand court will open on the site with an
additional 10 cells, these are operated by HM Court Service.
St Albans will continue to have a Neighbourhood Police Station within
500 metres of the existing police station when it has been sold for re-development.
‘It is a very exciting time for the Central Area and I'm confident
that the new Hatfield building will bring for us a new era of policing.
Never before have we been better placed - through co-located teams - to
work together more effectively, to be more successful in targeting our
most prolific offenders, to make more arrests, offer better support to
victims and deliver more reassurance through our locally based neighbourhood
policing teams,’ said Central Area Commander, Chief Superintendent
Alison Roome-Gifford.
‘The re-development of the new station is part of a wider modernisation
programme designed to offer numerous benefits - the real focus being to
improve public accessibility, visibility and quality of service.’
She added: ‘We look forward to meeting the local community and helping
them resolve their issues of concern, in conjunction with our partners,
and hope to fill our new cells with the few core individuals intent on
committing crime and causing disorder and anti-social behaviour within
our local communities.’
The former de Havilland, then Hawker Siddley, and more recently British
Aerospace building has been restored to house operational officers and
police staff and key departments.
Richard Smith, Police Authority Vice-Chairman and Lead for Welwyn Hatfield,
said:
‘We are pleased to have provided this new Central Area Headquarters
to secure a great improvement in the delivery of policing services. Many
residents have already commented favourably on seeing the new Hatfield
Police Station incorporating the famous former de Havilland administration
block and mess - both listed buildings and very much part of the heritage
of Hatfield.’
