Work has officially begun on three new facilities for West Yorkshire Police in Wakefield and Leeds after ground-breaking ceremonies took place last week. A consortium, led by Interserve, the international support services and construction group, together with Equitix, the infrastructure investor and developer, will design, build, finance and operate the facilities.
The two new divisional headquarters for City and Holbeck and Wakefield divisions of West Yorkshire Police will be located at Elland Road in Leeds and Havertop Lane in Normanton, Wakefield, and the third facility will be the new Specialist Operational training centre at Carr Gate, where the Operational Support Division is based.
The new buildings will provide a modern, flexible working environment as well as enabling officers to train for real life situations with more realism than before. All three sites will have a community facility in order to connect them to the communities they serve.
Planning permission has been secured for all three sites, and the first facility will come into use in December 2013. The consortium will then be responsible for the delivery of services (including cleaning, maintenance and energy management) once the buildings are completed.
Sir Norman Bettison, Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police, said: "We are pleased that work has officially begun on these new facilities. It will put West Yorkshire Police at the forefront of modern policing and enable the Force to provide the best possible service to the communities of West Yorkshire."
The Chair of West Yorkshire Police Authority, Councillor Mark Burns-Williamson, said: "The Police Authority is very pleased to support this investment and long-term vision for policing in the county. I hope the new buildings when completed will have a positive impact on the local economy with jobs being made available to local people throughout the building and operating period.
‪"It was fantastic to see members of the public, at each groundbreaking event, who have formed part of the important consultation process and this reflects our commitment to making sure policing remains rooted within the heart of local communities with the very best of facilities for years to come."
Interserve Building Managing Director, Ian Renhard, said: "As work gets underway on these three sites, we look forward to delivering first-class facilities for West Yorkshire Police and realising our commitment to bring long-term economic benefits to the wider community."