PCC for Cleveland Steve Turner has re-affirmed his commitment to review the potential to bring the Custody Suite inside Hartlepool’s town centre police station back into use.
Mr Turner and newly-elected Hartlepool MP Jill Mortimer were given a tour of the facility by Chief Inspector Martin Hopps from Cleveland Police.
Both had pledged to look at the viability of re-opening the newly-refurbished cells, in Avenue Road, as part of their manifestos prior to election in May.
Steve said: “As part of my manifesto, I pledged I would do everything I could to bring the Hartlepool Custody Suite back into use.
“The 16 cells now provide a state-of-the-art facility, which will be an asset to both Hartlepool and the wider region.
“We’ve spent the money on making sure the cells are safe and fit for purpose. They will be used as a key part of our wider estate and understanding how that usage impacts on our overall policing will be key to whether we need to bring them back into regular use.”
Jill said: “This is an election promise I am determined to deliver on. The partial re-opening will mean police officers can spend more time policing communities and less time delivering detainees to other suites across Cleveland which is a waste of resource”.
Cleveland Police has carried out a review of custody provision in Hartlepool and is bringing it back into use as an operational resilience suite.
This means suspects will be held in custody at Hartlepool when cells in Middlesbrough are full or undergoing renovations.
Hartlepool will also be used when police undertake pre-planned operations, where they expect to make a number of increased arrests.