When completed the new building will provide a base for up to 450 officers whose duties range from community policing to major crime investigation. A state-of-the-art custody suite will provide 40 police cells and there will be a new and improved public front desk.
“Making sure our police officers have the best facilities to keep our communities safe is a key element of my Police and Crime Plan,” said Ms Hernandez.
“I am absolutely committed to improving officer welfare and we remain on target to deliver new facilities at Middlemoor in the middle part of next year.
“In the meantime the transition from old to new in the city is already under way and the city centre community team will be operational out of the new hub in the city Council’s Paris Street building soon.
“Willmott Dixon, the main contractor, has made the most of the mild winter so far to make excellent progress and we are really starting to get a good idea of what this striking development will look like.
“At the same time they have continued to invest in communities across Devon – working with the police and other partners on lots of projects including with ex-offenders, schoolchildren and in diverse communities.
“At a time when police budgets are high on the agenda it is good for the public to be able to see how the money they spend on their police is being invested.”
Exeter’s police commander, Chief Superintendent Sam de Reya, said: “I am delighted to see our new modern purposely-built police station taking shape. This building will support our people to deliver front line policing services to the public across Exeter, east and mid Devon and beyond.
“We have taken our first steps towards a new way of working by relocating our Exeter neighbourhood team to new offices in to the heart of Exeter City and into the Civic Centre.
“Our people do a difficult and complex job and deserve to have a positive working environment which supports them to do their best.’
John Boughton, deputy managing director for Willmott Dixon, said: “It is great to be able to celebrate this important milestone in the build of Exeter’s new police station. You can really get a sense of what an impressive building this will be.
“As part of our targeted training and recruitment programme, the project is also delivering additional value to the local community, with two ex-military personnel amongst many people gaining valuable work experience on site.”
Important milestone reached in project to build new police station for Exeter
Exeter’s new £29m police station reached its milestone this week when Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer and Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez bolted the last piece of steelwork into the fast-growing structure.
