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Durham Constabulary has recently taken ownership of a state of the art new Headquarters facility, designed to provide everything needed for the challenges of modern-day policing.
It replaces the old building, which was constructed in the 1960s and was no longer fit for purpose.
The new-build, which staff moved into during August and September, is positioned opposite the old base at Aykley
Heads,Durham. It houses call handlers and dispatchers, as well as other central services including the force’s
executive team, and the finance, human resources, criminal justice, intelligence and information technology
departments.There is also an office for Durham Police and Crime Commissioner Ron Hogg.
Chief Constable Mike Barton said:“A few years back we took a look at our existing headquarters, the on-going
maintenance cost for a building that was becoming a bit of a money pit, and the feasibility of maintaining it longer
term, and deciding it was time to do something about it.
“The build of the new headquarters along with the on-going developments across our estates were essential for us to police effectively in the 21st century”.
“We now have around 600 people housed under one roof, and have moved a selection of other departments out to other locations in order to streamline operations.
“Our old facility was out dated and had become a drain on resources, costing far too much of our budget each year to
maintain. The gas bill is 0% and the electricity is 6% of the former HQ. All these savings mean £750k per annum -
which pays for 17 police officers.We took the decision to invest in our future and develop a purpose-built central hub.
We’ve been able to deliver this project on time and within budget due to the commitment of our small estates team,
who have worked tirelessly over the past few years to make this happen.”
Police and Crime Commissioner Ron Hogg said: “I am delighted that we have taken ownership of a new headquarters
building that is constructed to an extremely high standard, and is designed to last 60 years”.
“Durham Constabulary headquarters staff now operate in an open-plan work environment,which lends itself to
smarter team working between separate departments. I firmly believe that this can only make the service we offer the
people of County Durham and Darlington even better.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved in the development of the new build and for their on-going
commitment to improving the estates facilities across the organisation. It’s also important to note that we own the
buildings – they are not PFI contracts which are now proving very expensive to maintain”.