Search under way for new police station sites

The search is on for suitable sites for new police stations in two large towns.

Northamptonshire's chief constable said town centre locations for the new facilities were being considered in Kettering and Corby.

Kettering is also getting a replacement for its fire station, which is currently located next to a secondary school where there are traffic and parking issues.

The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) said she was giving "firm commitments" to making the projects happen.

At the moment, people in Corby who want to talk to their neighbourhood officers will find them on the fourth floor of the Corby Cube building.

If response officers are responding to a 999 call from the town, they do so from the Northern Accommodation Building on the outskirts of Kettering.

The short-staffed neighbourhood office came in for some criticism last year when it emerged that suspects had been told to take photos of themselves to prove they were complying with their bail conditions, rather than being checked by an officer.

Opening hours were increased following complaints.

The Labour PFCC, Danielle Stone, said several sites had been considered for a new police station for Corby but "they did not meet operational needs, didn't provide value for money or were not in a central location".

She added that she was working with her estates team to find a suitable site, and would find ways to extend the public enquiry desk opening hours in the meantime.

Ms Stone said work was also under way to find a new town centre base for Kettering's neighbourhood policing team and enquiry desk.

She added that a location had already been chosen for the town's new fire station, replacing the existing facility on the Headlands where "traffic and parking issues can make entry to and exit from the station difficult".

The replacement will be built next to the existing Northern Accommodation Building on Cherry Hall Road, which has "good access to major routes".

It will also be "built to meet modern working and welfare standards".

Chief fire officer Nikki Watson said: "The proposed new site is in a great location that is both accessible to the public we serve and well located for our operational needs."

The chief constable, Ivan Balhatchet, said: "Corby and Kettering will have the visible and reassuring police presence that they deserve, and we are looking at ways to engage with all of our communities across the county.

"I want Northamptonshire to be the safest place it can and putting police officers back into the centre of towns – where they want to be – has a big part to play."

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