MCBAINS COOPER
PROPERTY & CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANCY
PRESS RELEASE
September 1, 2010.
“BIG SOCIETY” COULD CHANGE THE FACE – AND INSIDES - OF POLICE STATIONS.
The new government’s “Big Society” is coming to the Police, and with it a likely demand for law enforcement agency building design to clearly demonstrate how it can help police officers work more efficiently and engage more with local communities.
Mark Leeson, a director of property and construction consultancy McBains Cooper, says that design and development emphasis will be influenced by a shift towards local accountability and local tailoring of police activities to address specific regional and community-based issues.
“Big Society could mean significant changes to the way police stations, buildings and offices are designed and constructed, for the simple reason that they will need to be, literally, a lot more transparent with more space for public meetings and interaction, and a lot easier to get around without compromising security and safety for officers and support staff,” said Mark Leeson.
“The key to this tailored approach is going to be efficient working practices and methods. Thousands of police and civilian staff members are in the process of being made redundant in a rapid cost cutting exercise. Some front line staff are being asked to re-apply for their jobs.
“The impact on buildings is clear – all new and refurbished buildings are going to have to demonstrate how they help the police work more efficiently. One example is a project on which McBains Cooper worked in the east of England
“Furthermore, greater transparency resulting from the appointment of Police Commissioners that hire and fire Chief Constables will lead to the need for their buildings to be more transparent – greater space for public meetings and reviews and interaction.
“The concept of ‘beat meetings’, both within the police stations but also out in the community may generate a more open, yet smaller high street presence – this is already occurring across the UK but looks set to increase.
“The setting of local budgets by commissioners looks likely to be set against a policy of national buying – this could mean buying solutions, PFI, or new national frameworks.
“It’s too early to give an accurate view, but the re-commencement of the PFI bids for a number of custody and operational accommodation projects for police forces seems to indicate that PFI will remain on the agenda for the short to medium term.
“It’s not clear what is meant by ‘making good use of nationally provided services’ but this could mean larger frameworks for the supply of certain goods and services – perhaps even custody management.
“It could also mean amalgamation of neighbouring forces. The drive to create a more locally-focussed force may actually have the opposite effect; more smaller police forces may well end up sharing larger strategic facilities such as firearms training bases and custody investigation centres along the lines of the model we have created in the east of England
“The central buying of IT and other infrastructure items may make procurement easier for those delivering buildings at a local level, but, for example, central government attempts to buy IT nationally has not been good.
“In any event, the white paper changes the emphasis towards more local facilities, local communities and a tailored approach to policing rather than national standards and targets.
“This will lead to each Commissioner and police force re-considering how their building stock works both from an efficiency standpoint, but also from a public perception standpoint. It remains to be seen, following the October spending review, how the reductions in the policing budget will filter through, but it seems that front line policing will be immune from cuts, and may actually benefit in real terms by re-focusing spending. Value for money is going to be more important than ever before, and this is going to be judged at a local, not national level.”
Ends
Further information:
Iain Macauley / Chris Fowler
07788 978800 / 07719 172225
Notes.
McBains Cooper
McBains Cooper is an inter-discipline consultancy, specialising in property, infrastructure and construction, offering a wide range of consulting and design services including architectural, aesthetic or technical design, problem solving, budget management, facilities management, health and safety, sustainability consultancy and on-the-ground civil engineering. Driving and supporting projects ranging from minor works to major contracts worth more than £100 million, McBains Cooper operates across a variety of sectors throughout the UK , Europe and Latin America . McBains Cooper is committed to environmental, social and economic sustainable development and their integrated approach means they deliver effective, award-winning solutions to their clients. The Group employs 150 people. McBains Cooper has regional headquarters in London (head office), Birmingham , Glasgow , Leeds, Manchester , Oxford , Windsor , Lima (Peru ) and Mexico City , with associate offices in Belfast and Dublin
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