The Miers Avenue Neighbourhood Police Office serves five wards in Hartlepool.
It is currently staffed by two sergeants, eight police constables and nine police community support officers.
Until April 2014, it was staffed in partnership with the Community and Partnership Teams of Hartlepool Borough Council.
As part of the partnership, the council provided staff to cover reception, which was open daily between 10am and 4pm.
When the council teams re-located to Hartlepool Civic Centre, the office was closed to the public – unless attending a pre-arranged appointment
Having consulted with police staff, they have expressed no major concerns about moving back to Hartlepool headquarters.
Headquarters is actually closer to their wards for some staff. Other staff will be within walking/cycling distance or within easy reach by bus.
The footfall at Miers Avenue is negligible. Most contact with the public is via telephone or email. Contact and visible patrols will be unaffected by the move.
Due to re-structuring Hartlepool often only has limited resources to cover the whole local policing area. Therefore, a more central location will help with resourcing.
The move will not make the team less accessible or reduce effectiveness when dealing with community issues. This was seen earlier with the re-location of the South and Central Teams from York Road.
The lease on Miers Avenue costs £5K per year plus the costs of running the building. Under the terms of the lease, the force is responsible for the upkeep of the building.
A recent survey revealed that the fire alarm system needs to be upgraded at an estimated cost of £5K. The roof needs to be replaced at an estimated cost of £3K. Further issues were also identified during a recent health and safety inspection.
Following a review of the lease and delivery of the Integrated Neighbourhood Team service based at Miers Avenue, the Estates Team has recommended that the premises are closed when the lease expires on 28 February 2015.
This report advises that the Miers Avenue premises are no longer required to support Neighbourhood Police in Hartlepool.
Savings achieved by re-location to Hartlepool headquarters are £11,241 each year. Closing Miers Avenue also avoids a one-off dilapidation cost of £38K.