Hampshire Constabulary opens new station
Hampshire Constabulary has opened a new police station in Southampton, the start of a wider plan to increase the visibility of the force and improve response times across the region.
The £430,000 response and patrol base in West End Road, Bitterne, brings officers back to the area for the first time since 2016 when the previous police station was shut down.
Southampton is currently serviced by police stations in the city centre as well as Portswood, Redbridge and Hightown but the new location will provide an increase presence in the east.
Police and crime commissioner (PCC) Donna Jones is understood to also be looking at plans for a new hub on the Isle of Wight and joint police and fire stations at Redbridge in Southampton and Cosham in Portsmouth.
Ms Jones said: “I am really pleased to open a new police station within my first year as PCC. Bitterne is a great high street location, and this new base contributes to working space for the hundreds of new police officers we have recruited, and provides reassurance and a service to the public. The lease on the new police station site enables time to provide a fit for purpose police station for the long term.”
Deputy Chief Constable Ben Snuggs of Hampshire Constabulary said: “The opening of Bitterne police station is going to make a real practical difference to our operational policing in Southampton. Through the support of our PCC, being able to open and locate this new response base on the east side of the city is good for us and good for our communities.
“It will help us respond right across the city more effectively and enable us to be more visible to the public we serve. Better response, better public service and being more visible are right at the heart of what it takes to be effective in policing and we are grateful for the PCC’s support in enabling us to achieve this.”
