New £17m custody suite a ‘significant’ benefit to Nottinghamshire Police

This was the message of Caroline Henry, Nottinghamshire police and crime commissioner, and her team as they revealed the new suite is helping the force handle prisoners more efficiently.

Mrs Henry and members of her office told a police and crime panel meeting the state-of-the-art custody suite is outperforming its predecessor.

The ‘old and decaying’ former Bridewell Custody Suite, in Nottingham city centre, closed in September 2021 to make way for the new facility in a bid to save the force money.

And, while the force does not yet have a number for how much it has been saved a year since the new site opened, Mrs Henry and her office have said it is proving its worth.

The 50-cell facility was created to offer a better environment for staff and detainees and to provide efficiencies in the judiciary process.

The building includes interview rooms, consultation booths and office facilities for staff.

It also has rooms for people with autism, young people, people with disabilities and those experiencing episodes of mental ill-health.

Since it opened on September 29, 2021, the force says the cost of running the facility, off Radford Road, Nottingham, has ‘significantly reduced in comparison to Bridewell’.

This includes greater efficiency for detainee handover, allowing officers to ‘get back out on the street’, while other savings include reduced energy costs through solar roof installations.

And, while Mrs Henry’s office says it is too early to put an exact figure on cost savings, an ongoing report into the first year in operations is expected to outline exactly how much cash the organisation has saved.

Chief Constable Craig Guildford, the force’s senior officer, told the panel about some of the new suite’s energy-saving benefits.

He said: “Overall, the quantum on fuel [costs] doesn’t go anywhere near the savings we’ve achieved and the operational benefits of having a really good custody suite.”

Other benefits include increased reliability and availability of on-site electronic equipment, including CCTV, intercoms and ventilation.

And Sharon Caddell, chief executive and monitoring officer at Mrs Henry’s office, says it has increased capacity, capability and safety within the custody suites.

But on finances, she told councillors: “It’s too early to put cash figures against the benefits realised, because that piece of work is still ongoing, but it’s something we have certainly been keeping an eye on.”