BUILDING work is set to begin on the new Merseyside Police headquarters following a ceremony today.

Police commissioner Jane Kennedy and Chief Constable Andy Cooke broke ground at the site of the force's new £48m centre in Scotland Road, which is due to open in September 2021.

The four-storey centre, which is being built adjacent to the force's existing station on St Anne Street, will house more than 1,100 officers and staff who will move over from the current headquarters on Canning Place in Liverpool city centre and from a number of leased units in Brunswick Dock, enabling these to be released.

It will feature modern, open-plan offices, meeting rooms and break-out spaces and has been designed to enable staff to work in a more flexible way.

Police commissioner Jane Kennedy first unveiled plans to build a new police headquarters in Everton ward in September 2016.

It followed a year-long evaluation of a host of potential new sites, as well as the potential refurbishment of the existing headquarters.

Ms Kennedy said: "I'm thrilled that we are finally now in a position to start work on the new headquarters that Merseyside Police so desperately needs on this key gateway into the city.

"Canning Place has been a loyal servant to the Force for more than 40 years and there is no doubt it boasts a fantastic location, but it is now of an age where expensive repairs and maintenance work are urgent and essential.

"It is old, inefficient and its structure and layout are no longer fit for purpose.

"This new, modern and flexible headquarters will provide officers, PCSOs and staff with the right facilities and working environment to fight crime, now and in the future, ensuring Merseyside Police is equipped to protect our communities for years to come.

"It is important that I make it clear the money used for this project is completely separate from the funding used to pay for Merseyside's Police's officers and staff and cannot be diverted to fund operational policing.

"The new centre will also save money by reducing the annual running costs of the police estate – money which can be directed straight to the frontline.

"This is a long-term investment which, over the next 40 years, will save the force a substantial amount in running costs in comparison to undertaking a major refurbishment of the existing premises in Canning Place.

"This new headquarters is the most effective, efficient and economical way to ensure that Merseyside Police is able to tackle crime and protect our communities now and for future generations.”

Chief Constable Andy Cooke said: "This is a further step in making sure that police officers and police staff have the right resources, working environment and are located in the right place to continue delivering a service the public can be proud of.

"Further, the site selection will deliver huge benefits to the local community by investing in an area of regeneration."

As part of the process of selecting a new location for police headquarters, the Commissioner asked each of Merseyside's five local authorities to identify any potential sites.

The 13 sites proposed were then assessed and scored alongside an additional 31 privately-owned sites identified by the Force and external consultants.

The top five of these sites were then evaluated in more detail, with the Scotland Road site being identified as the best possible alternative to Canning Place.

Planning permission was granted in October 2018 and, since then, site contractors Willmott Dixon Construction Ltd have been preparing the site ready for construction to begin. 

Anthony Dillon, managing director of Willmott Dixon in the North, said: "We are very proud to be starting work on these modern new headquarters for Merseyside Police, and are committed to delivering a quality and cost effective environment that will serve officers, PCSOs and staff for years to come.

"We look forward to once again working in close collaboration with the force, with whom we share a commitment to leaving a positive and lasting legacy in the communities in which we work.

"We will continue to build on the 3,000 apprentice weeks and 1,950 school and college works we’ve delivered in this city to date."