Police are returning to city centre
AND NEW ‘ENFORCEMENT HUB’ WILL BE BASED INSIDE FORMER FULL STREET STATION,
POLICE officers will be stationed in Derby’s city centre for the first time in six years.
They will be working as part of a project which aims to take “robust action to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour”.
The officers, with special constables and cadets, will be based at Riverside Chambers – formerly the Full Street Police Station.
POLICE officers will once again be stationed in Derby city centre after an absence of six years.
They will be there to stem growing problems of street begging, antisocial behaviour and drug use on the streets of Derby.
And in a twist of fate, the new enforcement hub as it is being called, will be situated in the former borough police station building in Full Street, which is now called Riverside Chambers.
The ambitious project, which aims to take “robust action to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour”, will accommodate 25 officers including the City Safer Neighbourhood Team, special constables and police cadets, as well as officers from Derby City Council.
It will see Derbyshire Constabulary working with the city council and the University of Derby to provide a joint base in the building, which also used to house the city’s magistrates’ court.
The hub will provide a base for those embarking on police constable degree apprenticeships (PCDA), as well as policshort
The new hub is a fantastic asset to help keep the residents and visitors safe in Derby. Chief Superintendent Dave Cox
ing and criminology students from the university.
The final touches are under way on the building and it is hoped police teams will be ready to move in early this summer.
Chief Superintendent Dave Cox, who leads policing in the city, said: “The new hub is a fantastic asset to help keep the residents and visitors safe in Derby.
“The opening of the hub also ties in to the Covid-19 road map, which will see the night-time economy opening back up and it will provide a great base from which to welcome people back into the city.
“It will also deliver an opportunity for degree students to test their skills in a real police and partnership environment, with access to criminal justice processes, case studies, problem-solving and briefing experience.”
Councillor Chris Poulter, leader of Derby City Council added: “Having a presence in the city centre centrally will undoubtedly instil confidence with our residents, visitors, and businesses.
“By offering the premises free of charge for a time, we’ve been able to expedite it and get officers on the beat in the city.”
Mr Poulter said the Grade II listed building was the subject of a £4 million refurbishment in 2016, and will offer on-site parking, interview rooms, a secure evidence room, a taser room, storage facilities and body worn video download capability as well as a refreshment area and locker room/showers.
The Full Street police station, alongside the magistrates’ court, originally opened in the 1930s. A tall extension block was built alongside it in 1966, where the Premier Inn is now situated. Both were closed in 2002 and sold in 2004.
A new police station at St Mary’s Wharf in Chester Green was opened in 2001 and to maintain a police presence in the city, an inquiry office was opened adjacent to the Assembly Rooms in the Market Place.
This was closed in 2015 and since then police officers on patrol in the city have been based at St Mary’s Wharf.
Derbyshire police and crime commissioner Hardyal Dhindsa said the opening of the hub would be “a really exciting milestone”. He said: “We have a duty to protect those who live, work and visit the city and we believe by co-locating some of our resources, we will deliver better outcomes for the communities we all serve.
“We have achieved so much in a time, but we can go much further, and we will. The new hub will enable us to respond to challenges in a coordinated way and maximise the expertise, skills and experience of our collective personnel.
“Alongside an open-plan working space, the new hub will provide a dedicated briefing facility enabling the blue-light organisations to share intelligence more effectively and host joint night-time economy briefings involving police, taxi marshals, street pastors and licencing staff.”
Professor Kamil Omoteso, university pro vice-chancellor, said: “This initiative has the potential to transform the way crime and its associated social issues are addressed in future, not just in Derby, but in many other cities and communities.
“The university’s role will be to apply academic research methods to the way in which issues and problems caused by crime in our communities are resolved, working in close co-operation with Derbyshire police to take new approaches which can help to make a real impact in the city.
“It will also provide a superb opportunity for our students to obtain unrivalled work experience opportunities supporting policing and community safety professionals, which will not only complement their education, but will enable them to make a difference which improves the quality of life for local people.”