THE NEW police station and civic centre in Tidworth is now open.
Plans were approved for the new building in 2021 with construction on the £7.3m project beginning in July of 2022 with an anticipated opening date of August 2023.
The completion and move-in dates of the new civic centre were delayed from the originally stated August 2023 due to several factors.
Tidworth Town Council took to Facebook on Thursday, January 18 to inform residents that staff will be facilitating the move during the week of Monday, January 22 to Friday, January 26, with operations based out of the new building as of Monday, January 29.
During the transition, the council said that its offices would not be reachable by telephone as systems are being switched over, but would remain available during its regular office hours of 9am to 1pm, Monday through Friday, via its website, email, Facebook Messenger and Instagram.
Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson joined with Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Catherine Roper to launch their Estates Strategy 2023-27 at the newly-finished Tidworth Police Station this morning.
The new strategy provides residents with a comprehensive vision for how well-placed police stations, hubs and touchdown points provide the right facilities for Wiltshire Police to work smarter, adapt to changing crime demand and, more importantly, provide greater visibility and reassurance in communities.
Main highlights include the planned investment of more than £100m over the next ten years which includes a £19million investment to deliver a new dedicated Policing hub in south Wiltshire by 2028.
The PCC and the Chief Constable have identified that the current arrangements for policing estate in the south "are not meeting operational need", and said: "We continue to progress our location options, on with Old Sarum and High Post being our two most developed plans at present."
Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said: “Delivering a police service which meets the needs of its communities has never been more important – or challenging. I know residents want greater public engagement with officers, more public access and an increased officer presence at community level.
“All of this is underpinned by the importance of investment in police ‘estate’ to support the delivery of a policing service I know our residents want - and deserve."
Wiltshire Chief Constable Catherine Roper added: "The importance of a fully-functioning estate for my officers and staff cannot be underestimated. I believe well-placed and equipped police sites provide the base for my teams to work smarter, adapt to changing crime demand and more importantly, provide greater presence to our communities.
"I believe this strategy will enable my officers and staff to demonstrate our commitment to having a physical presence in our communities. These plans will enable us to be a modern and visible organisation who support our communities and workforce and deliver on our commitment to ‘Keeping Wiltshire Safe’."
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