New Dudley police station officially opens
Works have completed and Dudley’s new police station, delivered for West Midlands Police and procured through the Pagabo framework, is officially open.
The Chief Constable and Police & Crime Commissioner officially opened the Castlegate Way facility after touring the building and meeting officers who are now working from the site.
The complex work to convert the former insurance call centre into a fully functioning and secure police station took just eight months to complete.
Changes include improvements to vital safety and security systems, the creation of a new victim care suite, interview rooms, and a public contact office where people can talk to staff face-to-face.
Officers and staff started to work from the new station on Monday, 17 November, in a phased move which saw the public contact office open on 22nd November.
The new site houses neighbourhood teams, emergency response officers, offender managers, intelligence teams and much more. It replaces Brierley Hill police station as the borough’s police headquarters, and all public services now transfer from Brierley Hill to the new Dudley police station.
Brierley Hill police station will be disposed of in winter once the officers who are currently based there move into their new offices at Dudley Council’s Cable Plaza building, Waterfront.
Speaking from the site, Chief Constable Craig Guildford, said: “I’m really pleased with the new Dudley police station.
“The facilities for our officers and staff are excellent, but more importantly, the facilities for victims and witness are excellent.
“Every penny spent on the project has been invested wisely to ensure the building serves the borough for generations.
“The building is in a great location with good – and improving – public transport links.
“The people of Dudley have a police station they can be proud of.”
Dudley police station is the second new police station to open in the West Midlands this year.
All the work has been paid for by making better use of their estate, the associated savings and generated income.
The Police and Crime Commissioner owns all West Midlands Police buildings. The Chief Constable is responsible for how we use those buildings, to enable police officers to keep people safe.
The decision to acquire or dispose of sites is made by the PCC, based on operational policing recommendations made by the Chief Constable. The recommendations are fully scrutinised in public meetings with the relevant documents published on the PCC’s website.
“This is welcome news for Dudley,” said Police & Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster.
“I committed to delivering a new, modern police station for the town, and I am now delivering on that commitment, exactly as I pledged to do. This is part of my plan to rebuild community policing, to ensure we have an accessible, reassuring and visible police presence.
“This new facility will be fit for 21st century policing and will serve as a vital hub for police officers and staff, including local neighbourhood and response teams. It will be a crucial point of contact for the public, and it will ensure the police have the resources they need to prevent and tackle crime and keep people and communities, throughout the Dudley Local Policing Area, safe and secure.”
Brierley Hill police station has been listed for closure since 2018 when the decision to develop a new site was made following careful public scrutiny of the plan.
The station was expensive to run, required extensive improvements and was no longer fit for purpose. Refurbishment did not make economic sense.
Paul McCormick, Speller Metcalfe’s operations manager for the new station, said: “We are delighted to have completed works on the new police Headquarters in the heart of Dudley.
“It’s been fantastic to work on this project alongside West Midlands Police, and the new facilities, – including a dedicated public contact office – will provide modern, fit-for-purpose spaces that will bring real value to the community for many years to come.”
The address for the new police station is: Castlegate House, Castlegate Way, Dudley, DY1 4RR. The public contact office is open 8am-10pm.
