THE search for a new Surrey Police headquarters site is under way as part of cost-cutting moves to save £5.3million this year.
Counters at Godalming, Camberley, Caterham, Dorking and Addlestone are all set to close at the end of the month, which will leave only six across the county.
Waverley residents who want to provide documents to officers, pass on information about a crime, and hand in or report lost property, will have to travel to Guildford Police Station.
Announcing the closures earlier this year, a police spokesman said: “To close any front counter is not a decision taken lightly and it is recognised when it comes to accessing our service, one size does not fit all, however, we have a responsibility to be as efficient with our funding as we can be.”
Plans to relocate the force from its ‘outdated’ headquarters at Mount Browne, Guildford, have been in the pipeline for some years.
But the hunt for new premises has now started in earnest and is focused on the Leatherhead/ Dorking area.
The project is expected to take at least four to five years to complete, and the planning team, which is led by the Chief Officer Group and the Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner’s office, have instructed agents to start the search.
If a suitable building can be found, it will replace the current sites at Woking and Mount Browne and also Reigate police station as the main eastern divisional base.
It will house most of the force’s centralised specialist crime and public protection teams as well as training facilities, corporate and support functions. Depending on the final location, the site may also provide a central hub for contact, roads policing and armed response teams.
Area policing teams and safer neighbourhood teams will continue to operate in their respective boroughs, and Guildford and Staines police stations will remain as they are, predominantly accommodating western and northern divisional teams.
Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner David Munro said: “This has been a big decision to make, but the most important factor in planning the future of our estate in Surrey is that we provide value for money for the public.
“It is no secret some of our current buildings, including the Mount Browne HQ site, are outdated, poor quality and expensive to manage and maintain.
“At a time when we are asking the public to pay for more through their council tax precept, we must ensure this isn’t committed in the long term to run a costly, restrictive estate.
“Mount Browne has been at the centre of policing in this county for almost 70 years and has played a key part in the proud history of Surrey Police.
“Equally, I am well aware the two other sites in Woking and Reigate have been important locations for residents and our plans must ensure our local neighbourhood presence for those communities is unaffected.
“But we must look to the future and designing a new HQ gives us a unique opportunity to really think about what we could do differently to deliver an even better service to the public.
“We have looked carefully at the potential budget for the project and while there will be inevitable relocation costs involved, I am satisfied this investment will provide savings in the long-term.
Deputy Chief Constable Gavin Stephens said: “Surrey Police is a modern, vibrant organisation with a very proud heritage.
“To meet future policing challenges we need a modern estate, supported by effective technology and new ways of working.
“Our teams, and the communities we serve deserve nothing less.
“These plans reflect our ambition to be an outstanding force, an attractive employer able to provide high quality policing in the heart of our communities.”
Surrey Police purchased Mount Browne for £17,500 in 1948, and was officially opened in 1949.
A four-storey extension was added in 1969, followed by another extension in 1975. In the same year, 13 acres adjoining the estate were bought and converted into a dog training school.
The Mount Browne site has been allocated for 116 houses in Guildford Borough Council’s draft local plan.
A planning report commissioned by Surrey Police in 2013, proposed a residential development of up to 125 homes, including converting the 19th-century house into flats.