Police move in after $1.5m office facelift
THE doors have been thrown open on the Far North’s newest police facility after a $1.5 million facelift.
The McLeod St building formerly belonging to Australian Federal Police was purchased by their Queensland counterparts in 2017 and has been the subject of a major renovation for months.
While the facility is expected to become home to officers moved out of the Sheridan St building during its renovation, Deputy Commissioner Paul Taylor revealed the team leading the region’s COVID-19 response became the first residents this week, moving in on Tuesday.
“Obviously with the current COVID-19 operation the allocation of space has become crucial to us,” he said.
“A lot of (those) staff are not usually stationed in Cairns.
Those people have come from as far away as Brisbane so it’s a great set-up temporarily.”
Mr Taylor said the open plan office was designed so it could be set up multiple ways, including for the running of major incident rooms during serious criminal investigations which lasted for months. He said it included the most modern technology available for police facilities.
The facility was initially due to be ready late last year but the project was hit by delays due to both weather and other issues found within the building.
“Like all renovations of existing buildings, as you start to undress the old, you find new issues that need addressing,” Mr Taylor said.
“We wanted to make sure anything that was identified was rectified so we didn’t need to go back and readdress it.
“It’s been quite a lengthy process and we wanted to make sure we got it right.”
Mr Taylor said the building still needed some minor works, but allowing staff inside was fast-tracked with other facilities bursting at the seams due to COVID-19 staffing.
Exterior works have also begun at the Sheridan St station as part of its $12 million makeover.
Major concerns were raised with the building by staff early last year including pest control and water damage, with some staff forced to relocate due to illness.
The building’s airconditioning was identified as a source of the problems and has undergone significant works.