Town gains a new station
Monday, 28 July, 2008
The latest in a series of new police stations in Hertfordshire has opened in Hertford.
The official opening of the Hale Road stations was carried out by Yasmin Batliwala, Chair of Hertfordshire Police Authority, aided by local pupils who won a competition to design a poster showing what a police officer of the future would look like.
Ms Batliwala said, "I am delighted to open this important new station in Hertford, which will make policing highly visible and far more accessible than on the previous site. It is one of a number of new stations and access points being developed in the county - in the Eastern Area alone we have already improved facilities at Hoddesdon Police Station and are forging ahead with the development at Stevenage. There are also many other stations and access points being developed, include Ware and Turnford. We are very proud of our building programme but it is people who make the difference and Hertfordshire now has more neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs than ever before."
Last July custody facilities were moved from the old Hertford Police Station to a new facility at Hoddesdon. This has increased the cell capacity and offers more up to date facilities. Stevenage Police Station has doubled in size following a multi-million pound refurbishment and officers and staff recently moved in to the new building.
The new station in Hertford will be the main base for over 100 officers and staff including the Safer Neighbourhood team and intervention and response teams. The Criminal Justice Unit, Crime Management Unit and Customer Support Teams will remain at the old station on Ware Road until they move to the new facility at Stevenage in December.
Chief Constable Frank Whiteley said, "From a public perspective, having two police stations in Hertford and Ware will be a big improvement. This new police station will also house several key teams and departments, such as the Local Crime Unit, headed by a Detective Inspector, and a Specialist Crime Unit, so that the local response to our communities and, in particular, vulnerable persons, will be improved."
