Care facilities unveiled after £2.5m upgrade

Centre for injured officers has around 1,500 visitors a year

Police chiefs have unveiled a £2.5 million upgrade at a Perthshire rehabilitation centre for injured officers.

Scottish Secretary for Justice Michael Matheson MSP officially opened the refurbished Castlebrae complex at Auchterarder in a ceremony attended by Police Scotland Chief Constable Phil Gormley.

Around 1,500 serving and retired officers attend at Castlebrae every year.

During their time, they receive treatment for any on or off-duty injury or illness, either as part of a physiotherapy programme or a new care plan for officers suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety or depression.

The Police Treatment Centres, which operates the facility, is an independent charity which receives most of its funding from monthly donations from serving and retired officers.

Over the past few years, there has been increased demand on the centre which has led to extra pressure – particularly on fitness facilities – to cope with the number of officers attending for treatment.

In 2009, a fundraising drive was launched to pay for a £2.5m expansion. The target was reached in early 2015 – thanks in part to a leading figure in the United Arab Emirates – and work got under way in May that year.

The centre now has a much larger treatment pool, around two-and-a-half times the size of the original one.

A hydrotherapy pool, which helps improve muscle elasticity and releases pressure on joints, has also been added.

Where the old pool once stood, there is now a large sports hall. A purposebuilt spin bike studio has been installed and the gym has almost doubled in size.

Patrick Cairns, CEO of the treatment centres charity, said: “This new extension and refurbishment will ensure that the facilities and treatment remain of the highest quality and we are able to support all of the serving and retired officers who come to us for treatment and help, in the most effective way possible.

“It is important that we never stand still as an organisation and rest on our laurels, but always look for improvements and seek ways to do things better, and there is no doubt that this new building will allow us to do this.”

The project was designed by Wake Architects and work was carried out by Marshall Construction.

Funding came from, among others, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the deputy ruler of Dubai, who has links to the Al-Maktoum Institute in Dundee.

The Castlebrae complex.