HERTFORDSHIRE POLICE could deliver better services if plans to build five new police stations and specialist custody facilities in the county get the go-ahead.

The police intend to build replacement stations in Hertford, Cheshunt and Hoddesdon and a new station in Ware.

There are also plans to build a new station between Hertford, Cheshunt and Hoddeson.

Two new specialist custody facilities are also proposed in Hertford and Stevenage with a new eastern area headquarters. The plans are part of the Public Access and Visibility Strategy, which will be discussed at a Hertfordshire police authority meeting on Friday.

Also on the agenda is a new support centre in Welwyn Garden City police headquarters, which will house a new force-wide call centre to increase the constabulary's capacity to deal with 999 and non-emergency calls, providing a faster and more efficient service.

Mr Paul Acres, chief constable of Hertfordshire, said: "The police access and visibility strategy is about delivering better services.

"We want to increase the number of stations to provide better access to those services and to make us more visible in communities'" he said.

"The new custody suites will improve the efficiency and safety of prisoner handling and mean that arresting officers will spend less time in stations dealing with prisoners."

"The new force-wide call centre will allow us to take full advantage of new technology to improve the way we handle calls from public."

The first phase developments are expected to be completed by March 2005.

Hertfordshire Constabulary is one of six forces to take part in the Audit Commission's 'Action Stations' report. It found that 20 per cent of stations nationally were more than 70 years old, were in the wrong location and didn't support intelligence-led policing.

October 1, 2002 10:00