FROME Police will have a new home for the next two and a half years – above Pizza Hut and KFC on Wessex Fields – while a new permanent police response hub is built at the existing site on Oakfield Road.
The current Police Station is set to close in the coming weeks with the response and neighbourhood police teams being housed at Wessex Fields near to Sainsbury’s supermarket. The Police will also have a front office desk at Frome library where any appointments can be made.
The decision by Avon and Somerset Police to keep police officers permanently based in the town is a huge boost as it was feared that officers would no longer be stationed locally and would have to commute from larger towns or from one of three police hubs positioned across the county – which would have reduced the amount of time officers spent in Frome.
The site of Frome’s current police station at Oakfield Road will be redeveloped with 64 homes being built alongside a smaller police station that will house an enquiry office and the local policing team. It is hoped the new station will be open by late 2015 or early 2016.
The new plans are part of a bid by Avon and Somerset Police to reduce costs and reduce their portfolio of buildings by at least 36% by 2019. It will mean a reduction in the number of police stations and custody suites across Somerset with only Bridgwater, Patchway and Keynsham having custody facilities. Anyone arrested in Frome will now likely be taken to Keynsham rather than Bath.
Local Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens said, “In the traditional sense police stations as you know them now, will change. Soon you are much more likely to see your local police team located with other ‘blue light’ services such as fire and ambulance or with your local council. This means that the police will be where you need them most, in the heart of your community.
“This is an exciting time for local policing and reinforces our commitment to serving our communities while being more efficient and cost effective with our buildings.”
If you would like to look at the plans for the new site online visit www.mendip.gov.uk and search 2014/0174/FUL on the planning search page.
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