KEYNSHAM RESIDENTS INVITED TO VIEW POLICE PLANS

Residents and businesses in Keynsham are being invited to attend a public meeting to find out more about detailed plans for a new Police Custody and Crime Investigation Centre.

 

Located on Ashmead Road in Ashmead Industrial Estate, this facility will contain a 48-cell centralised Custody and Crime Investigation Centre and general office accommodation.

 

Public consultation is being held over two days on Thursday 20th October 4pm-7pm and Saturday 22nd October 10am-2pm at Royal British Legion, 8-10 Charlton Road, Keynsham, BS31 2JA. Members of the public are invited to drop in to view the plans, discuss any questions with members of the team and feed back their comments.

 

From 20th October, the updated plans will also be available at www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/accommodation and there is an opportunity to provide feedback online.

 

Chief Inspector Mark Evans, Operational Lead for the Accommodation Programme said: "Ashmead Road will house one of the three centralised custody centres across the force area, which will help us to process offenders more efficiently and return our officers faster to the communities where they are needed. It will also provide much improved facilities for our witnesses and victims.

 

"These plans will not affect local policing; we are committed to maintaining our neighbourhood teams who will continue to patrol in the areas they do now."

 

Chair of the Police Authority, Dr Peter Heffer said: "We know we need to invest in the long-term future of the police service, giving our staff decent working conditions and putting them in the right places to respond to public need. 

 

"We are clear that trying to patch and repair our way through the next 30 years would be an expensive and unsatisfactory solution for both our people and our communities." 

 

This facility is one of four new buildings that Avon and Somerset Police are building as part of the Accommodation Programme, Building for the Future, which is being funded by Private Finance Initiative (PFI). Funding has been confirmed by the Home Office and the final approval will follow in December 2011/January 2012.

 

Construction is expected to start in summer 2012 and the building will open in early 2014