New £26m Investigative Hub, featuring one of the UK’s most advanced custody suites, set to open next week

One of the most advanced police custody suites in the UK is set to open its doors next week with the promise of revolutionising operational capability and saving thousands of hours of police time.

As the largest single investment ever undertaken by Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen on behalf of Durham Constabulary, the state-of-the-art Investigative Hub, located near Spennymoor, will accept its first detainees on December 12.

The £26.3 million centre puts Durham at the forefront of policing innovation in the UK with 48 modern cells across four wings, one of which is specially designed to provide enhanced care for vulnerable detainees, including children.

Alongside contemporary custody facilities, the two-storey hub will also house specialist detective teams, the crime scene investigation unit, evidence stores, and the firearms licensing department.

With the bulk of the development delivered by local contractors within Durham and the North East, the project has achieved more than £25m of social value to date, improving opportunities, life chances and wellbeing for people who live and work in County Durham and Darlington.

Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen said: “The Hub is a huge achievement for Durham and will have a far-reaching impact on the day-to-day work of our officers, ultimately improving the service the public receives.

“The building’s innovative design has already put Durham on the map nationally and promises to transform the force’s ability to process detainees’ safety and swiftly, investigate crime and secure justice for victims of crime.

“With the aid of a new medical facility, reducing the need to move prisoners to and from hospital, the Hub is likely to save several thousand hours of police time each year, maximising the time officers can spend fighting crime in our communities which is a priority for everyone who lives or works in County Durham and Darlington.

“To date, the project has also brought immense benefits to the social and economic health of the county, bringing in excess of £800k in local employment value alone. Proudly, our success is now inspiring other forces to follow our example in developing their own social value action plans to support the growth and wellbeing of their communities.

“This project is living proof of what can be achieved through true collaboration and teamwork, and I could not be prouder.”

The project followed criticism of the force’s ageing custody facilities at Durham City, Darlington, and Peterlee Police Stations, by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Service (HMICFRS) inspectors in 2019. 

The Investigative Hub has been developed in accordance with Home Office design guidance, which promotes efficient, process-driven layouts to enhance safety, security, and respect for detainees.

The new facility provides a safer environment for staff, detainees and visiting health workers and legal professionals. With multiple custody desks, officers will be able to process several prisoners simultaneously, reducing the time spent booking in detainees and enabling them to return to frontline duties out on our streets more quickly.

Chief Constable Rachel Bacon said: “The opening of the Investigative Hub represents an absolute transformation in the quality of our facilities, and I am delighted to see it open its doors.

“It will be safer for detainees, safer for the police officers who look after them and safer for medical and legal professionals who work with us.

“But what’s most important to the public is that we’re there when they need us most.

“We are confident that the new Hub will be far more efficient, which means officers will spend more time back out on the streets.

“Prisoners will be handled by prisoner handling teams, so our response officers can make an arrest and quickly back to what they are good at: responding to emergencies and keeping the public safe.”

The centralised suite incorporates modern interview rooms, virtual courtrooms, forensic examination rooms, and 24/7 medical facilities. Notably, it is the first suite in the country to include a dedicated forensic medical facility – a recent addition to the Home Office design guidance.

Chief Constable Rachel Bacon added: “Durham’s investigation outcome rates are already good, but you can’t deliver 21^st Century crime-fighting in an out-of-date environment.

“This is a modern centre of excellence which gives our investigators access to high-quality forensic facilities to develop their skills and capabilities.

“That, in turn, is going to generate better evidence to solve serious crime and ultimately provide a better service to victims.”

The existing 14-cell block at Peterlee Police Station will be retained as a contingency. However, response and neighbourhood policing teams based at Durham City and Bishop Auckland Police Stations will continue to operate locally, with public access to these services unaffected by the opening of the hub.